By Marni Rose McFallShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAlmost 35 years after its original release, Macaulay Culkin has an idea for a sequel to Home Alone that would keep him at the center of the tricks and traps.
Why It Matters
Home Alone is one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time. The franchise catapulted Culkin to fame, and he became one of the most popular child stars in 1990s Hollywood. The comedy follows 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, who is accidentally left behind when his family travels to Paris for Christmas. When two bumbling burglars attempt to rob the house, Kevin fights back with a series of elaborate traps.
The film was a box-office success on its release and was the second-highest-grossing film of 1990, bringing in $476 million worldwide. Culkin returned for the film's sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, in 1992, which featured a cameo from now-President Donald Trump.
...What To Know
Culkin shared the sequel idea during a stop on his “A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin” tour.
Now 45, Culkin said that he “wouldn’t be completely allergic” to making a return as the burglar-fighting, red sweater-loving Kevin in a sequel to Home Alone, but the script would have to be “just right.”
And luckily, he already has an idea. “I’m either a widower or a divorcee,” Culkin said, explaining his vision for the film.
“I’m raising a kid and all that stuff. I’m working really hard, and I’m not really paying enough attention, and the kid is kind of getting miffed at me, and then I get locked out. [Kevin’s son] won’t let me in… “
“He’s the one setting traps for me,” Culkin said.
He said that the house would become a “sort of metaphor” for the relationship between father and son. His character would have to “get let back into son’s heart.”
“That’s the closest elevator pitch that I have. I’m not completely allergic to it, the right thing,” he said.
Culkin’s remarks come after the film's director, Chris Columbus, told Entertainment Tonight in August that a follow-up in the Home Alone franchise should not be made.
He said at the time, “I think Home Alone really exists as, not at this timepiece, but it was this very special moment, and you can’t really recapture that.”
“I think it should be left alone,” Columbus said.
There were several other Home Alone films made without Culkin and Columbus's involvement, however: Home Alone 3 in 1997; Home Alone 4 in 2002; Home Alone: The Holiday Heist in 2012; and Home Sweet Home Alone in 2021.
What People Are Saying
Many iconic properties have been given the remake treatment in recent years, from Mean Girls to the upcoming sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, and while these films can often have a mixed reception, social media users seem keen on Culkin’s Home Alone idea.
Social media user @BayesianNuance, in a post on X viewed over 390,000 times: “Ok I'm sold. Do Kevin's rich parents pay for him to have his own big house or is he living a normal, sad divorced dad life?”
Social media user @ShadowwwTrading, in a post on X viewed over 40,000 times: “The plot could be wayyyy simpler than that. I've always wanted to see a movie where Kevin is a parent who actually leaves his own child home alone and spends the movie trying to get home to them. Planes, Trains And Automobiles style. While his kid fends off intruders LOL.”
Social media user @yallititanup, in a post on X viewed over 100,000 times: “Imagine Joe Pesci coming out of retirement for a home alone sequel.”
Social media user @mim_maryam, in a post on X viewed over 30,000 times: “Culkin’s kid-outsmarting-dad twist could slap harder than the original if they nail the traps and keep it raw, not some sappy reboot mush.”
What Happens Next
Whether a new film in the Home Alone franchise will come remains to be seen.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
News‘Rush Hour 4’ Greenlit at Paramount Following Donald Trump Push3 min read
Movies‘Wicked: For Good’ Set for Box Office Dominance With Projected $228M Open4 min read
MoviesDwayne Johnson All But Confirms Disney Canceled Highly Requested Sequel3 min read
MoviesINTERVIEW: Noah Baumbach on Movies, Mortality and Crafting Hollywood on Screen in ‘Jay Kelly’10 min read
MoviesParamount Cancels ‘The Last Ronin’ Movie, Announces New Live-Action ‘TMNT’3 min read
MoviesThe Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping First Teaser Trailer Looks Stunning3 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
WorldPutin Gives Update on Ukraine Peace, Trump Sending Witkoff to Moscow: Live Updates3 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Don’t Blame Trump for the Gerrymander Paradox8 min read
NewsMarjorie Taylor Greene Like ‘Canary in Coal Mine’ for GOP: Ex-House Speaker4 min read
Live BlogThanksgiving Winter Storm Live Tracker, Updates as Heavy Snow to Hit1 min read
PoliticsDonald Trump’s Georgia Election Interference Case Dropped by New Prosecutor2 min read
U.S.Kristi Noem Among Those Named in Judge’s Criminal Inquiry: Full List2 min readTrending
MoneyNew ‘Cash Law’ Could Change Grocery Store Rules3 min read
SnowfallWinter Storm Warning Issued As 25 Inches of Snow To Strike5 min read
U.S. Economy‘Mass Blackout’ Starts Today: What to Know3 min read
Home PricesPrice Correction ‘Worse Than 2008’ Coming To US Housing Market—Analyst5 min read
ArkansasRepublican Switches Party To Democrats Amid Concerns About Affordability3 min readOpinion
OpinionThanksgiving in America | Opinion5 min read
OpinionWhen Strength Becomes a Burden—Reimagining the Strong Black Woman | Opinion4 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: Trump Turkey Pardoning Edition3 min read
OpinionDoes the US Need a Third Political Party? Newsweek Contributors Debate5 min read
OpinionGOP Rep.: The U.S. Must Close Critical AI Chip Export Loophole Exploited by China | Opinion5 min read
