Its hard not to really like
Billy Bob Thornton; sometimes gruff and wistful, undoubtedly eccentric and always shying away from the outright super-stardom that once sought to engulf him; Thornton has remained a true original. Unlike his former wife Angelina Jolie, he has never been blessed with classically alluring Hollywood looks, and so never seems in danger of losing the belligerent, rugged sexuality that permeates all his roles in spite of their disparate nature. No role is more indicative of Thorntons unique inherent qualities that of Willie in the now cult Christmas classic,
Bad Santa. In 2011, with The Weinstein Company firmly strapped on to the bandwagon of sequels, a possible follow up to Thorntons drunken depressive shopping mall Santa
was announced as recently as December. But now it seems that the film is one step closer to reality with the news that the actor/musician/producer/screenwriter is in discussions with the studio and, according to
The Wrap is eager to reprise his much loved anti-hero. An official from the Weinstein Company is quoted as saying:
"We feel that it's a Christmas perennial for the R-rated crowd..Everyone loves the character and Billy Bob's excited to be in talks with us."
Released in 2003, the original film took nearly three times its relatively small budget at the box-office, with a great deal more on DVD. Any follow-up project could expect a far larger investment and reward, although there has been no word yet regarding the possible involvement of the Coen Brothers, who held production and uncredited writing roles on the original, to which many attribute the films darkly comic touch. Credited screenwriters
Glen Ficarra and
John Requa have since gone on to write/direct I Love You Phillip Morris and Crazy, Stupid, Love and are now preparing their Linda Lovelace biopic, and it's unknown if they are back on board. Whilst original director
Terry Zwigoff hasn't made a film since 2006's Art School Confidential.
