2003’s debauched yuletide comedy, Bad Santa, dashed any misguided notions that those who dress up to play the jolly chap are without issues. Billy Bob Thornton’s take on the rotund fellow completely veered away from saccharine stereotypes of a happy man who only wants to deliver cheer to everyone. Instead, his store-front Santa was a drunken slob who chased women and shirked his duties whenever possible.
In short, it was brilliant, and thus, rumours began to circulate about a second trip in his kinky sleigh for Bad Santa 2. The latest news we’ve had on the project landed in May 2013, when Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink apparently vacated the director’s chair to make way for Entourage creator Doug Ellin. At the time, Ellin was also reported to be working on a re-write of Johnny Rosenthal’s original script, which brings us up to date with the status of the project.
That is, until Thornton recently sat down with THR for an in-depth chat. During the session, he was asked whether or not a sequel was indeed on the cards. “That’s what they say,” he jokingly replied, before being pressed for further details:
“Yeah, supposedly. We’re just waiting for a script, you know. I mean we’re never going to beat the first one but you got to get as close as you can. I mean you know you just can’t go out there and do it halfway. So we’re waiting for something that’s close enough. And you know it will do real well I would imagine. And then you know people will say well, it wasn’t as good as the first one. And we’ll say yeah, we knew it wouldn’t be. And but I think it should be fun. And I think people who like this one will enjoy it. And hopefully we’ll get it off, yeah.”
So, it seems like there’s still no definite script for the sequel despite the fact that Thornton is confident it will be a success. ‘Waiting for a script’ would suggest that someone is currently working on one, or the powers that be are simply waiting for a new idea to present itself. Either way, the future for Bad Santa 2 isn’t looking quite so cheery at the minute.