In bittersweet news, the director of holiday classic The Family Stone is working on a sequel following star Diane Keaton’s death last month. The original film followed the Stone family at Christmas as they faced a terminal cancer diagnosis for family matriarch Sybil, played by Keaton. Thomas Bezucha, who wrote and directed the 2005 film, told CNN in an interview that he had been working on the script when he learned of Keaton’s death. “I’ve been haunted by the loss of Sybil for months now while I worked on it, and so this was a blow on a tender bruise already,” Bezucha explained. “Mentally, I’ve been spending time in that house where I’ve been missing her for a while already.” Her death emphasized for Bezucha just how important it was for him to get the script right and “do a good job by the rest of the cast.” He is now determined to “honor her even more” with the sequel. While none of the film’s stars—including Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, and Dermot Mulroney—have signed on to the sequel, their responses to the idea have been universally positive.
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