Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa 3 is back on the nice list with its biggest boost in years
After almost a decade in limbo, Bad Santa 3 might finally be back on track. Billy Bob Thornton says he’s heard a new pitch that actually clicks.
If you were thinking the last thing Hollywood needed was another belated sequel, hold your horses – because there’s actual movement on Bad Santa 3, nearly a decade after the very underwhelming second film. And the update’s come from the main grumpy man himself, Billy Bob Thornton.
Billy Bob Thinks He’s Finally Heard a Decent Idea
Thornton was recently spotted at the Newport Beach TV Fest, mostly doing the rounds for his Paramount+ series Landman. But someone from The Direct sidled up to him with questions about potential story ideas for yet another Bad Santa outing (because apparently, the thirst for Christmas cynicism never truly goes away).
According to Thornton, he’s just heard a pitch that actually 'made sense'. Here’s his quote, for anyone who likes their rumour mill straight from the source:
'I just heard one about two weeks ago. It’s the first one I’ve heard that really kind of made sense.'
To be clear, it doesn't sound like we're anywhere near cameras rolling: Thornton instantly clarified that no one’s greenlit anything yet, but there’s finally a story 'floating around' that could be worth a look.
Until Now: 50 Truly Rubbish Ideas and Counting
Casting your mind back about five months, Thornton brought up Bad Santa 3 talk on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Apparently, his poor manager had sat through around 50 different pitches, all of which were, in Thornton’s own words, 'horrible'. It took nearly a decade of bad ideas for someone to land one that he didn’t instantly hate. You’ve got to respect the stamina of Hollywood agents.
(If you’re wondering how many films get made this way, the answer is: more than you think.)
Quick Recap: The Saga of Bad Santa
- 2003: First Bad Santa arrives, surprising everyone by being both dark and genuinely funny. Budget was about $23 million, and it pulled in a very healthy $76.4 million globally.
- Critics and punters both liked it: Rotten Tomatoes shows a 'Certified Fresh' 78% from critics and a solid 75% audience score. Metacritic? 70 from critics, 7 from users – that’s 'generally favourable' by anyone’s standards.
- 2016: Enter Bad Santa 2. Nobody waited with bated breath, but it got made anyway – probably because the first film was such a sleeper hit. This time, the magic was gone: the sequel didn’t even cover its reported $26 million budget (global box office: $24 million), and the reviews were thoroughly brutal.
- Rotten Tomatoes: 23% critics, 34% audience – yikes. Metacritic followed suit, with a 38 from critics and a tepid 5.5 from the general public. The polite way to put it: nobody’s favourite.
So, Is Bad Santa 3 Actually Happening?
The bottom line: they haven’t committed to anything yet, but at least someone’s finally pitched something Thornton thinks isn’t rubbish. That’s honestly the most promising news this threequel’s had in ten years.