If it was April Fools’ I wouldn’t believe it—except it’s November, so it must be real. There’s a sequel of It’s a Wonderful Life in the works.
EW has all the awful details:
Scheduled for release during the 2014 holiday season, the plot of It’s a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story will answer the questions: “Whatever happened to George Bailey?” “Did Mr. Potter really got away with stealing $8,000?” and “Did George ever get to build those bridges?”
I’m not usually one to complain about the overabundance of sequels, remakes, and reboots currently dominating Hollywood. To my mind, these discussions miss the point somewhat—historically, artistic retellings of stories that already exist in the cultural consciousness has been the norm, and the expectation of originality is a relatively recent phenomenon.
But even I have my limits—and a sequel to It’s a Wonderful Life is just ridiculous.
Not only is it unnecessary, it’s damaging to the original. A sequel to the Frank Capra classic starring Jimmy Stewart might actually ruin part of what’s great about It’s a Wonderful Life. I’m of the opinion—hardly unique—that the original film is nearly perfect, a well-crafted fable with nary a scene out of place. It ends exactly when it’s supposed to, and the unanswered questions mentioned by the filmmakers remain unanswered for a reason.
EW notes that the announcement may be wishful thinking, however: Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions announced the project, but first they’ll have to get permission from Paramount, which owns the copyright to the original film and its characters. Let’s hope this project dies a quiet death.
