Macaulay Culkin and Chris Columbus Discuss Home Alone Sequel Ideas at 35th Anniversary Event

by

Last month marked the 35th anniversary of the beloved holiday film Home Alone. To celebrate, star Macaulay Culkin and director Chris Columbus hosted a screening and question-and-answer session at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday. The 45-year-old actor recently shared some of his ideas for a possible Home Alone sequel, and the topic came up during the event.

Culkin jokingly suggested the premise for a new ‘Home Alone’ movie: an adult Kevin McCallister is either widowed or divorced. He explained that he’s so focused on work he’s neglecting his son, who then accidentally locks him out of the house and sets booby traps, just like Kevin did in the original films.

The first Home Alone is still considered a classic holiday film, and it led to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, bringing back stars Macaulay Culkin and director Chris Columbus. Several other sequels followed, but neither Culkin nor Columbus participated in those. During a question-and-answer session before a screening, the conversation turned to recent talk about another sequel, and Columbus shared his thoughts as well.

Chris Columbus Addresses Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone Sequel Idea

Near the end of the question and answer session, moderator K.J. Relth-Miller asked questions submitted by children. One, from a 10-year-old named Dylan, asked if a grown-up Kevin McCallister would appear in another Home Alone movie. Director Chris Columbus responded by acknowledging he’d seen discussions about a potential sequel, which drew laughter from the crowd.

Culkin seemed surprised and said, “Wow, I can actually hear you,” while Columbus chimed in, “I thought it was pretty good.” Then, Columbus explained what it would take to make a sequel happen.

Director Chris Columbus jokingly suggested a ‘Home Alone’ sequel would need the return of the original Wet Bandits, Mac (Macaulay Culkin), Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern. He imagined the story as a revenge plot, playing on the idea that Pesci and Stern’s characters would be furious after spending three decades in prison.

Columbus mentioned he found Culkin’s idea “interesting.” Culkin suggested the character Kevin could be older, perhaps a widower, and a busy parent struggling to connect with his child. He described it as being similar to the movie Liar Liar, highlighting a disconnect between them, and noted there were a couple of different ways they could take the concept.

Okay, so the movie’s got this interesting premise: the main character accidentally leaves his kid behind, and the fallout is hilarious. I’m picturing a frantic phone call to the mom, a big apology, and a realization of the mistake. But there’s another angle – maybe he intentionally leaves the kid, figuring it’ll be a formative experience! That leads to a funny situation where the kid, now grown, basically locks him out of his own life and sets up all sorts of elaborate pranks and obstacles. And honestly, as someone who’s seen a lot of movies, I can totally predict where those traps are coming from – I’m the expert on this kind of thing!

Culkin explained his unusual actions by saying he was too ashamed to call for help, admitting, ‘I’m embarrassed, and my son is hurting me.’ He also described his home as representing his desire to reconnect with his son emotionally.

Macaulay Culkin And Chris Columbus On Why Home Alone Still Resonates After 35 Years

Even after almost forty years, Home Alone remains a beloved holiday movie. Macaulay Culkin and Catherine O’Hara, who played his mother in the film, are still friends and have even worked together recently, appearing in commercials for Chase Bank. O’Hara also honored Culkin when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. Culkin believes the reason the movie continues to resonate with viewers is because people connect with his character, Kevin McCallister.

I think people connect with this character because he’s an underdog who succeeds – he outsmarts others and defeats the villains. That’s something everyone, young or old, can understand. Becoming a father has made Kevin’s story even more meaningful to me, especially seeing how determined and tirelessly he fights to return home. That struggle is what really stays with me.

Culkin explained that when he watches ‘Home Alone’ with his sons, Dakota and Carson, and his wife, Brenda Strong, he doesn’t focus on the movie itself. Instead, he enjoys watching his children’s reactions, listening to their laughter, and feeling proud to have been a part of something they enjoy so much.

He realized he now understood their perspective, having grown up with the same influences and now passing them on to his own children. But for him, those influences now held a different meaning.

Culkin said his young sons have no idea he’s the famous Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, and he doesn’t tell them. They don’t even refer to the movie as Home Alone; they just call it “Kevin.” They’ll say, “Wow, Kevin is really funny!” and he’ll jokingly reply, “He’s also handsome—someone your mom might like.”

He almost revealed his secret when his oldest son, Dakota, asked for a photo of him with his brothers and sisters, and again when a young cousin came to visit.

I was looking at an old picture with my siblings, and my aunt pointed to someone and asked, ‘Who’s that? It looks like Kevin.’ I told her it was nobody, and showed her a picture of our aunt. My little cousin, who’s about five, overheard them telling someone they were going to watch ‘Kevin’ that night. She turned to me and said, ‘You’re Kevin!’ I jokingly told her she was Kevin and asked her to be quiet – I was trying to let her enjoy the moment. We were watching the movie, and then she suddenly realized something, and I said, ‘Yeah, it’s been you all along.’

You know, I was reading an interview with Columbus, the director, and he said the reason ‘Home Alone’ still connects with people after all these years is really down to Macaulay Culkin’s incredible performance. He thinks it’s his acting that truly makes the movie special and keeps us coming back.

What really struck me is how easily everyone connects with you in this film. There’s something unexplainable about performing on camera, and people genuinely fell in love with Kevin as a character. I was actually inspired to direct it after watching David Lean’s Great Expectations – specifically, how the first part of that film is shown through a child’s perspective. I knew I wanted to tell this story from Kevin’s point of view, but I needed an actor who could really carry the film, and you absolutely did. Kids who see the movie connect with you immediately, and that’s why it’s remained so popular – it’s all thanks to you.

Read More

2025-12-14 23:20