Bad Santa isn't a movie that needs a sequel. It's completely self-contained, has satisfying endings for all of the characters, and operates perfectly as a singular dark comedy. Sure, Willy is a great characters and it could be interesting to see him on another "adventure," but why risk creating something so awful that it would leave a bad taste in the mouth of everyone that loved the first movie? Regardless, star Billy Bob Thornton says that they are rolling the dice and that we could see the sequel by next year.
The Playlist recently caught up with Thornton at the on-going Berlin Film Festival - where he is debuting his newest directorial effort, Jane Mansfield's Car - and according to the actor production on Bad Santa 2 is scheduled to begin this fall. Said Thornton, "The writer is still working on the script, he's doing his rewrite right now. We saw the first draft and we just had a few little things we wanted to take away or add and he's doing that." He also added that they are currently aiming for a Christmas 2013 release date.
The Oscar-winning actor first entered negotiations for the sequel in March of last year, though he expressed interest in the idea a few months before that. It's currently unclear who will direct the project or who is writing the script.
Bad Santa is a great anti-Christmas movie and has developed quite a large fanbase over the years, and my only hope is that Thornton likes the idea of a sequel not because it has money-making potential, but because he wants the chance to play Willie once again. If his heart is in the right place, this sequel could be a success. If not, we might be in for some pain.
