It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the all-time Christmas classics. Despite being viewed as a box office disappointment in 1946, the Frank Capra directed masterpiece about Yuletide good cheer that brought James Stewart back from World War II has since become a timeless classic watched every December by millions of families.
So, of course it has a built-in audience ready for it to be franchised.
Variety is the first to report that Star Partners and Hummingbird Prods. Has signed a deal to produce It’s A Wonderful Life: the Rest of the Story. Yep, though the 1946 film ends pretty conclusively on what is considered by many to be one of the all time great feel-good closers, it turns out that there is more. Indeed, Karolyn Grimes, who said one of the famous final lines from that ending of “every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings” will be returning as an angel in the new film. It will be she who prods George Bailey, the GRANDSON of the Jimmy Stewart character, into realizing what a terrible person he is when she shows him how better the world will be without his existence.
See? They FLIPPED IT! Genius.
It is unclear whether Grimes’ angel will still be Zuzu Bailey from the original film, returning beyond the grave to haunt a relation. But the film, which will be financed by Allen J. Schwalb of Star Partners, is definitely set for a release during the 2015 holiday season.
Bob Farnsworth, who is also producing the film alongside Schwalb, is co-writing the screenplay with Martha Bolton. He said to Variety, “The storyline of the new film retains the spirit of the original – every life is important as long as you have friends.”
That is an important message…one that is told perfectly in the original. I usually do not editorialize these kind of stories, but making a sequel toIt’s A Wonderful Life is akin to having a follow-up to Casablanca or Gone With the Wind. The. Story. Is. Over. It ended in one of the best final scenes in movie history. Just do what every other Christmas movie does these days and rip it off. Otherwise, it feels like Potter won.
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BULL$HIT
The only thing beyond the film version ending that should be enjoyed is the Saturday Night Live "lost ending" where they discover Mr. Potter had the $8,000 that Uncle Billy lost. They then hunt him down, discover he isn't even crippled, and beat him to death.