Warner Bros.
By Randee Dawn, NBC News contributor
Christmas is just under four months away, which should give most people enough time to recover from the following bad holiday news: "A Christmas Story," the "you'll shoot your eye out" holiday classic from 1983 ?... now has a sequel.
That's right: "A Christmas Story 2" will be released direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 3. Based on the trailer (see below), the film features the same cast of characters, just aged a few years. Ralphie Parker is a teenager and is desperate not for a BB gun, but a car. His dad still swears up a storm and adores his leg lamp.
It's hard to imagine real fans of the original getting too excited about the sequel. "A Christmas Story" was not well-received by critics or audiences when it was released, but over the years has become a holiday classic thanks to DVD rentals and multiple holiday viewings. The film's story is based on the hilarious recollections of writer Jean Shepherd, who wrote about his childhood in "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories," and focuses on little Ralphie's holiday pursuit of a Red Ryder BB Gun.?
The film's style of wry humor mixed with a nostalgic voice-over (Shepherd's voice is the narrator in the original film) ultimately translated in the 1986 movie "Stand By Me" and the TV series "The Wonder Years." In that series, the narrator was voiced by Daniel Stern -- who is one of the stars of the "Christmas Story" sequel.
But wait, there's more -- not only is "Christmas Story 2" being released, but?an adaptation of the original will hit Broadway?starting Nov. 5. Of course, it's a musical.?
Still, before everyone starts thrashing around in the snow over the unfairness of it all, bite on this piece of soap: Shepherd's tales have been adapted into no fewer than three other films already. The Parkers have appeared in "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss," a TV movie from 1993, and?"It Runs in the Family," a 1994 movie that was released on DVD as "My Summer Story."
Still, "A Christmas Story 2" looks particularly egregious in tapping into nostalgia for the original. If it makes anyone feel any better, apparently it will be one of the final direct-to-DVD releases from Warner Bros., according to Yahoo!
Is a ?Christmas Story? sequel a good idea or should the original movie just be left alone? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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