The comeback of Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker in “A Christmas Story Christmas” had been in the works for nearly 40 years.
The actor, who nowadays prefers to work behind the scenes, returns in a sequel to the 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story” as the fully grown-up version of the 9-year-old protagonist who carried a Red Ryder BB rifle. The episode will air on HBO Max this Thursday.
“A Christmas Story Christmas” follows Ralphie as he makes a mid-1970s adult visit to his childhood home on Cleveland Street.
In his conversation with Steve Doocy on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday, Billingsley reflected on the original and said, “It’s a strange movie, because when it came out, somewhat did OK, then it went away.”
“It started to gain a following through video and cable,” he claimed, “and we recognised we’d like to do it, but we had to get it right.”
Following the passing of his father, Ralphie is “really trying to give his kids a Christmas like he had growing up,” according to Billingsley in the follow-up. The original “Old Man,” Darren McGavin, passed away in 2006.
The actors who played Ralphie’s childhood pals Flick and Schwartz are coming back, he continued.
Reimagining where these characters are in 30 years was a lot of fun, he said.
He claimed that the 1973 setting of the new movie corresponds to the original’s approximate 1940 setting.
So, Ralphie must return home while they are still in Hammond, Indiana. Even if his life isn’t quite where he wants it to be, he must put on this wonderful Christmas.
Billingsley, who sports glasses similar to Ralphie’s, claimed that he is frequently recognized for the character of a little boy. He said, “It’s just one of those movies that appears to still have an impact, even though nobody could have predicted the impact it would have at the time.”
He stated that timeless holiday tunes like “They serve as “comfort food for us, like A Christmas Story. We simply connect with them and adore them. As a result, it’s great.”
After Doocy said Ralphie would return in 40 years as a grandfather, he added that a “third chapter” of “A Christmas Story” “might be in store for us.”
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