With Mean Girls director Mark Waters instated at the helm, America Horror Story alum Kathy Bates has joined the cast of Bad Santa 2 as Sunny Soke, the no-nonsense mother to Billy Bob Thornton’s sleazy mall santa, Willie Soke.
Setting up shop at Miramax with financing help from Broad Green Pictures, the studios’ long-in-development sequel to 2003’s dark cult comedy is primed to leap in front of the cameras at the beginning of 2016, eyeing up that all-important festive window in little over a year’s time.
Reprising his title role as the con artist, Thornton returns as the borderline-alcoholic Willie for another round of R-rated festivities. Details on the plot are, as you would imagine, thin on the frosty ground, and all we know is that Thornton will suit up once again as the mall-robbing crook. Tony Cox and Brett Kelly are also on board for the sequel though, with the latter now all grown up since his appearance as the young child close to 13 years ago.
Now that Mark Waters’ place behind the lens has been confirmed, he’ll be working from a script penned by Johnny Rosenthal, Doug Ellin (Entourage) and Shauna Cross (If I Stay). Zanne Devine and David Thwaites, along with Broad Green’s Gabriel and Daniel Hammond will leverage producing duties between them. Gunning for a sequel that is “hopefully similar in tone to the first one,” those excited to see Thornton reprise his role as the foul-mouthed title character can pencil Christmas 2016 into their diaries in anticipation of Bad Santa 2.
Strap in for another round of festive shenanigans, Bad Santa 2 is coming to town in holiday 2016. Principal photography will begin in January of next year, with Miramax eyeing Montreal for a production start point.