Director Thomas Bezucha Plans Sequel to “The Family Stone”

Thomas Bezucha, the director and writer of the beloved 2005 film “The Family Stone,” is preparing a sequel to the contemporary holiday classic. This announcement comes in the wake of the passing of the film’s star, Diane Keaton, who died in October 2023 at the age of 79. Bezucha revealed in an interview with CNN that he had been contemplating a follow-up to the film even before Keaton’s death, but her passing has profoundly affected him.

Bezucha described a sense of loss and nostalgia surrounding Keaton’s character, Sybil Stone, the matriarch of the Stone family, who faces her own death from a terminal illness at the end of the original film. “I’ve been haunted by the loss of Sybil for months now while I worked on it,” Bezucha shared. “This was a blow on a tender bruise already. Mentally, I’ve been spending time in that house where I’ve been missing her for a while already.”

In his desire to honor Keaton’s legacy, Bezucha aims to create a sequel that pays tribute to the actress and the original cast. “I want to honor her even more and do a good job by the rest of the cast,” he stated. The original film is a holiday favorite, depicting the comical and often awkward dynamics of a family gathering when Sybil’s son brings his uptight girlfriend home for the holidays. The film features a star-studded cast, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, and Craig T. Nelson.

As for the sequel, it remains uncertain who will return. Bezucha clarified that no members of the original cast have officially signed on, and the sequel has not yet received the green light from Disney, which acquired the film’s original distributor, 20th Century Fox, in 2019. He emphasized the importance of featuring the original cast, stating, “I’m not interested in the Brady family reunion without the original Jan.”

Bezucha’s commitment to honoring Keaton and her character suggests that the sequel will aim to maintain the spirit of the original while navigating the complexities of family dynamics in a modern context. Fans of “The Family Stone” will undoubtedly be eager to see how Bezucha brings this vision to life amidst the backdrop of nostalgia and loss.