A sequel to the classic Christmas movie It’s A Wonderful Life is apparently in the works.
The Guardian reports that the follow-up to the 1946 Frank Capra-directed film will be called It’s A Wonderful Life: The Rest Of The Story and will feature surviving cast member Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu – daughter of James Stewart’s George Bailey – in the original film.
The new film will apparently tell the story of Bailey’s ‘mean’ grandson, with Grimes’ character – now an angel – visiting him to show him how the world would have been better if he had never existed, in a reversal of the original movie’s storyline.
The film is mooted for a 2015 release and producers are currently looking for a director for the project, with hopes of scoring a $25-32 million budget. The script’s co-writer Bob Farnsworth has said of the project: “It’s a Wonderful Life is about showing a good guy can win. And with Scrooge, you have a person that is not a good guy but he changes. This story is about the amazing human capacity to forgive when we see someone change for the better.”
Of doubts surrounding the idea of making a sequel to such a classic film, he added: “Look, no one can make another It’s a Wonderful Life. But our story is solid, and we are going in with our eyes open. There is no doubt about it, there will be a ruckus. But I have this motto: All it takes to be a leader is to have a cause you believe in. And the stronger you believe in the cause, the more adversaries you will have. And we strongly believe in this.”