It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the most known and most beloved holiday films ever. The 1946 Frank Capra film, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, is still watched every year by millions. Now, over 60 years later, Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions have announced that they’re working on a sequel to the movie, titled It’s A Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story, according to a report from Variety.
The sequel is reported to focus on George Bailey’s grandson, also named George, a role that’s yet to be cast, with Karolyn Grimes, who played Bailey’s daughter Zuzu in the original movie, returning as an angel, no less, showing him how much better the world would be if he hadn’t been born. Ironically, it was the younger Grimes who uttered the movie’s most famous line: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!”
Currently no definite casting decisions have been made regarding the lead role, producers are in talks with original cast members, Jimmy Hawkins and Carol Coombs, Tommy and Janie Bailey, respectively, to return for the sequel.
Grimes commented about the sequel, saying,
“The new film will retain the feeling of the original, and it simply must be shared. I’ve probably read close to 20 scripts over the years suggesting a sequel to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ but none of them were any good. The script by Bob Farnsworth and Martha Bolton was wonderful, and I wanted to be involved with his version of the film immediately.”
The screenplay for It’s A Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story was written by producer Bob Farnsworth along with Martha Bolton, the producers are currently look at potential directors with plans to film most of the movie in Louisiana with a budget of $25 to 30 million.
Farnsworth added,
“The storyline of the new film retains the spirit of the original – every life is important as long as you have a friend.”
Producers are tentatively planning to have the sequel in theaters by the 2015 holiday season.
