Before Chris Columbus became known for directing the first two Harry Potter movies, he was best known for his Home Alone series. Starring Macaulay Culkin, the movies remain a Christmas classic even after 30 years of their release. While the Columbus and John Hudges collaboration has since led to four other movies, all family movies with kids left alone at home, Ryan Reynolds was once said to be creating a remake of the classic.
However, instead of being another feel-good movie for the whole family, Reynolds’s remake titled Stoned Alone was supposed to be R-rated, and only for adults. While the movie seems to have since died down, Columbus once called the movie an ‘insult’ to cinema.
Chris Columbus Called Ryan Reynolds’ Stoned Alone An Insult
Chris Columbus‘ Home Alone is a timeless classic, garnering thousands of views each year even after more than 30 years of its release. A perfect Christmas classic, it was revealed a few years back that the Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds was going produce an R-rated reboot titled Stoned Alone.
Centered ‘around a twenty-something weed-growing loser who misses the plane for his holiday ski trip’, it would have featured the protagonist getting high on cannabis after missing his plane and having to thwart off thieves who decide to crash his perfect ‘Christmas’ plans (via The Independent).
Despite its announcement in 2018, there has been no news of the movie even though the director Augustine Frizzell remarked wanting to create an ‘emotionally well-balanced Christmas film’ (via SlashFilm). Meanwhile, the director of the original got candid about the potential reboot.
“When I read about something called Stoned Alone, they were going to do with Ryan – it was an R-rated Home Alone movie about stoners – I thought to myself, ‘This is just an insult to the art of cinema’.”
Stated Columbus in an interview with the Independent back in 2020 remarking the reboot would never be as good. Not only did he urge everyone to watch the original but he also stated that his movie deserved to be treated with the same level of respect as one would treat movies like The Godfather.
Home Alone Remakes Have Since Failed To Entice Viewers
While Chris Columbus’ first two Home Alone movies continue to ride high on the tide of popularity, the subsequent four movies have since failed to make their mark on audiences. Only Home Alone 3, despite underperforming, has fared better than the other 3 movies made later.
