Chris Columbus, director of the first two Home Alone films, has dismissed speculation about a reboot, describing the idea as a 'mistake'. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Columbus said the original films captured a unique moment that cannot be recreated.
Columbus directed the 1990 classic and its 1992 sequel, both written by John Hughes. Macaulay Culkin starred as Kevin McCallister, a boy left home alone who defends his house from burglars. Despite fan hopes raised by Culkin's December 2023 Q&A comment that he would return for 'the right amount of money', Columbus is not on board.
'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,' Columbus said. '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.'
Subsequent Home Alone films—including Home Alone 3 (1997), Home Alone 4 (2002), Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012), and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)—featured different directors and child actors. An R-rated reboot titled Stoned Alone, rumoured in 2018 with Ryan Reynolds, never materialised.
The Winnetka, Illinois house used in the first two films was listed for $5.25 million (£4.13 million) after a 2018 renovation. Meanwhile, Culkin and Catherine O'Hara, who played his mother, reunited at Culkin's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
