Home Alone Director Drops Surprising Truth Behind Refusing a Reboot

If you’ve ever debated whether it’s socially acceptable to put up your Christmas lights before Halloween—spoiler: it’s not!—then you know just how early holiday fever can set in. But before you cue up “Home Alone” for the thousandth time or, heaven forbid, daydream about yet another reboot, let’s pause. What if I told you that the real Grinch this year isn’t protecting presents but instead, Kevin McCallister’s legacy? That’s right, Chris Columbus—the mastermind behind the original “Home Alone” movies—isn’t having it. Forget about turning a holiday classic into a trilogy, he says; some things deserve to be left untouched, like that sacred first mug of eggnog or your grandma’s questionable fruitcake. And honestly, isn’t there something magical about letting nostalgia sit, untouched and untarnished? Dive into why Columbus is definitively shutting the door on a third film, plus the juicy details he’d actually change (spoiler: it involves a certain former President). LEARN MORE

Although it is far too early to start thinking of Christmas, chatter surrounding a reboot of Home Alone has reared its head.

But filmmaker Chris Columbus – who directed both the original flick and its sequel – has now shut down hopes of him breathing new life into the beloved Christmas franchise.

He reckons that it would be ‘a mistake’ to tamper with Kevin McCallister’s lasting legacy by producing another movie, adding that he believes it ‘should be left alone’.

Home Alone will celebrate its 35th anniversary this November, but it’s still an absolute must-watch when the festive season comes around – proving that the films still have a huge fanbase.

Some people have even gotten that desperate for another instalment that they’ve mocked up their own trailers for what Columbus’s third film might look like.

However, the Oscar-nominated director has now nipped rumours of him making Home Alone a trilogy in the bud.

Chris Columbus has shut down hopes of him creating another Home Alone film (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

“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,” Columbus told Entertainment Tonight. “I think it’s a mistake to try to go back and recapture something we did 35 years ago. I think it should be left alone.”

Although he made it quite clear he doesn’t think Home Alone needs meddling with or rehashing, Columbus did previously reveal one thing he wouldn’t mind changing.

Earlier this year, he explained that he would love to get rid of President Donald Trump‘s cameo in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Trump appears in the film for a seven-second shot when child star Macaulay Culkin asks him for directions at his Plaza Hotel in New York. Although it’s an extremely small snippet, Columbus said he can’t help but ‘wish it was gone’.

The Mrs. Doubtfire director revealed that he initially planned to cut Trump’s fleeting appearance before the film’s 1992 release, but was swayed by the reaction of an early audience.

“We screened the film in Chicago, and when that moment came onscreen, the audience went crazy,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The director previously admitted he’d like to cut Trump’s scene from the second film (20th Century Fox)

“Years later, it’s become this curse. It’s become this thing that I wish it was not there…It’s become an albatross for me. I just wish it was gone.”

He also previously claimed that the US President had managed to ‘bully his way into the movie’ by only allowing filming to take place in the hotel if he could make a personal appearance.

Although you might wonder why Columbus hasn’t cut it if he hates it so much, he explained that he fears being exiled for doing so.

“If I cut it, I’ll probably be sent out of the country,” he said. “I’ll be considered sort of not fit to live in the United States, so I’ll have to go back to Italy or something.”

And given that Trump recently threatened to revoke comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship – even though that would be both illegal and unconstitutional as she was born and raised in New York – you can’t exactly blame Columbus for being wary.