In the age of reboots and remakes galore, there’s one beloved classic that may never see a fresh take: Home Alone. Director Chris Columbus recently spoke out about why he doesn’t want Hollywood to remake the 1990 film, especially as it turns 35.
“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,” the filmmaker told Entertainment Tonight during a recent red carpet appearance. “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.”
Columbus really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the issue with so many reboots, remakes, and rehashes these days. The magic that was made all those years prior was something of lightning in a bottle for these movies — and it’s really hard to get the exact right mesh of elements that made the first film worthy of being remade in the first place.
For his part, star Macaulay Culkin said last year that he would be interested in revisiting the franchise and reprising his iconic role as Kevin McAllister if the money was right. “I have ideas, but I don’t have time to write anything with my two children,” he said during a post-screening Q&A.
The first Home Alone film, which was written by ’80s legend John Hughes, made Culkin a household name and gave the team at 20th Century Fox the green light for a sequel, Home Alone: Lost In New York, just two years later. Five years later, the franchise picked up again with a different child actor for 1997’s Home Alone 3. Home Alone 4 came in 2002 and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist arrived 10 years after that.
The most recent Home Alone franchise installment, Home Sweet Home Alone, was released in 2021.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
