'It's a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story' will see original cast Karolyn Grimes returning as an angel coming to visit George Bailey's not-so-good grandson.
- Nov 19, 2013
AceShowbiz - Frank Capra's classic Christmas movie "It's a Wonderful Life" gets a sequel. Titled "It's a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story", the follow-up story is expected to come out in 2015 holiday season. Producers are in search for director and hope to shoot the film in Louisiana early next year with a $25 - $35M budget range.
According to Variety, Karolyn Grimes, who portrayed George Bailey's daughter Zuzu in the original film, will return for the sequel as an angel. She will show Bailey's unlikable grandson also named George Bailey how much better off the world would have been had he never been born.
Producer Bob Farnsworth has written the script with Martha Bolton. "The storyline of the new film retains the spirit of the original - every life is important as long as you have friends," Farnsworth says.
"The new film will retain the feeling of the original, and it simply must be shared," Grimes states. "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."
No casting decision is made for the lead role of Bailey's grandson, but original cast members Jimmy Hawkins who played Tommy Bailey, and Carol Coombs who played Janie Bailey, are in negotiations to reprise their respective roles.
Released in 1946, the first film based on Philip Van Doren Stern's short story "The Greatest Gift" was led by James Stewart as the original George Bailey with Donna Reed as his on-screen wife. He tried to end his life on Christmas Eve, but an angel prevented him by showing him how bad life would be without him.
The movie was nominated for five Oscars including best picture but lost it out to drama "The Best Years of Our Lives".
