Bad Santa

[grand theft sparrow]

Um, people who like the movie, and maybe would want to see Zwigoff's cut?  This is an actual director's cut (screened at the last Ebert-fest), no horseshit-unrated-version like every other dvd these days.

But that's part of what I'm getting at.  People don't EVER want to see less of a comedy.  How many people who liked the movie would fork over another $15 to see 10 minutes less than they already have?  I'd like to see Zwigoff's cut but unless that version is REALLY that much better than the theatrical or unrated cuts, I'm not going to buy it.  A shorter cut of a comedy is going to be damn near impossible to sell and would only appeal in the least to film geeks who love the movie.  Otherwise, it's: "Hey kids, here's the director's cut of Bad Santa... some of your favorite gags may not be in this one."   

[MacGuffin]

Exclusive: Good Vibes for Bad Santa 2
Billy Bob Thornton to reprise his role?

Bad Santa, perhaps the most off-beat comedy of Billy Bob Thornton's career, might have enough punch for a sequel. Thornton tells IGN that execs at Dimension have "mentioned the idea a few times," but nothing is definitely in place. "I can say they're interested because it has been brought to my attention. But I don't know where exactly things stand with it. Right now I think it's still just nothing more than an idea."

In the event a concrete opportunity should arise to reprise the role of Willie, the shopping-mall Santa with a shop-lifting tendency, Thornton says, "I'd probably do it. It was such a ball making the first film, I'd be more than happy to bring him back. The guy's just a really fun character to play."

Thornton says he's also interested in seeing where a screenwriter might take a sequel. However, he does have one firm preference: Willie must remain a bad guy.

"At the end of the first movie, we're both in jail, so the story could really go anywhere from there. But for my character, I suspect there might be a temptation to make him more of a softy or make him more of a likeable guy. He's really just a bad guy, and if you mess with that, you're pulling the essence out of the guy. He's just bad. He'd still have to be bad."

Director Terry Zwigoff has yet to inform Thornton he's interested in a sequel. In the event Zwigoff doesn't sign on, Dimension may still go ahead with the movie (which, it has been rumored, could be known as BS2) .Zwigoff's participation would, of course, also factor into Thornton's decision to return.

"I don't know if Terry wants to do it," says Thornton. "I don't know where his interest level is. But he'd be an important part of it. Without him it wouldn't be nearly as good."