Overview
Pick a number between five and 100, and that's the average number of times you've probably watched Home Alone. You'll note that we haven't dared to suggest you've only seen it once, or twice, or even just three or four times, because we know how unlikely that is. We're guessing you've viewed the first sequel to the 1990 favourite quite a bit, too, because we all have. If you haven't given Home Alone 3 and Home Alone 4 as much love, though, that's understandable. Here's an important question for you moving forward, however: how many times do you think you'll give Home Sweet Home Alone a whirl?
A very real movie that will soon exist thanks to streaming platform Disney+, Home Sweet Home Alone will jump back into the festive-themed franchise that's all about being left behind by your family at Christmas. On paper, the overall concept doesn't sound all that merry — but as we all know, these flicks have been an end-of-year staple for three decades. So, of course the Mouse House is adding a new chapter to the saga. It sure does love reviving and extending past hits, after all. And, of course Disney will add the resulting movie to its streaming service just in time for the jolliest part of the year.
Mark Friday, November 12 in your calendar, as that's when you have a date with this new version of an old favourite. This time around, a kid called Max Mercer is the focus — as played by Jojo Rabbit's Archie Yates. Obviously, he's left at home while his family goes away. They head to Japan for the holidays, he gets forgotten, and soon he's fending off a couple that's trying to break into his house. We all know how the story is going to go from there, with this remake even giving a screenplay credit to the original's writer/director John Hughes.
Filmmaker Dan Mazer is in the director's chair on Home Sweet Home Alone, after previously helming I Give It a Year and Dirty Grandpa, and writing Bridget Jones's Baby, Office Christmas Party and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
On-screen, Yates will be joined by Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Rob Delaney (Wrath of Man), Aisling Bea (This Way Up), Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), Tim Simons (Veep) and Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty). There have been rumours that Macaulay Culkin will make an appearance, too, but you'll obviously need to watch to see if that pans out.
Home Sweet Home Alone doesn't yet have a trailer, but you can check out this sneak peek at the original until it does:
Home Sweet Home Alone will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, November 12.
Top image: Home Alone.