(Image Source: Pinterest, 20th Century Studios)
Entertainment journalist Matt Belloni recently revealed on his podcast, "The Town," that Macaulay Culkin, who became the highest-paid child star in film history for his roles in the first two "Home Alone" movies, is reportedly in discussions with Disney regarding a potential return for a brand-new sequel.
Belloni noted that Disney is very keen on making this project happen and is actively pursuing Culkin to sign on. However, it was Culkin himself who first proposed the sequel's story concept, and Disney is reportedly very pleased with his pitch, believing it could genuinely revitalize the franchise.
Culkin had previously stated last year that he was open to returning, provided the script was compelling enough. He also shared his conceptual sequel outline last year: "I have an idea where I'm a widower or divorced, raising a child alone, but I'm too busy with work and don't spend enough time with them. The child is a bit angry with me, and then I get locked out. My son won't let me in... and he's set traps for me. The whole house, in a way, symbolizes our father-son relationship, and I have to win my son's heart back. That's the most concise story pitch I could come up with. I'm not entirely against the idea; it's a pretty ideal direction." It remains unclear whether the pitch Culkin presented to Disney is the same version he described last year.
To date, the "Home Alone" franchise has produced six films, but Culkin only starred in the first two installments. From the third film onward, each entry featured a different child protagonist. The most recent, the sixth film, was "Home Sweet Home Alone," released exclusively on Disney+ in 2021 after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. However, audience reception was reportedly as lukewarm as for the third, fourth, and fifth films.