After Christmas With The Campbells, Vince Vaughn And Peter Billingsley May Try The R-Rated Holiday Formula Again [Exclusive]
"Christmas with the Campbells" arrived in select theaters this past weekend, but people will more likely check out the surprisingly hilarious R-rated take on the Hallmark holiday romance formula by way of streaming on AMC+ or rental through the digital platform of their choice (it's only $5 right now!). With the film arriving at the perfect time, we're hoping it's finding an audience by providing a refreshing take on the dozens of made-for-TV movies that create a flurry of cheesiness around the holidays. If all goes well, it sounds like producers Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley and their Wild West Picture Show Productions banner may try deliver another one of these raunchy spins on holiday romance.
Leading up to the release of "Christmas with the Campbells," we spoke with director Clare Niederpruem, who has already been privy to some potential ideas that could conceivably come together quick enough to arrive by Christmas 2023.
'I think they're going to do another one, and I would love to do it'
Clare Niederpruem was a legit Hallmark movie director before landing in the director's chair of "Christmas with the Campbells." She'd previously been at the helm of movies like "Holiday for Heroes" and "The Christmas Bow," and she was thrilled to be injecting something different into those types of movies without losing the spirit of the holiday heart that beats in the center of them. The result is a movie that has the look and feel of a Hallmark movie, just with some added naughtiness for good measure.
For her part, Niederpruem would be happy to get behind the camera for another holiday romantic comedy like this, and it sounds like Vaughn and Billingsley may already be working on it. After mentioning that we'd happily watch a new holiday movie like this each year, the director told us:
"I think they're going to do another one, and I would love to do it. Vince and Peter have talked about some other synopses. They have some really fun ideas that they've rough pitched me on the phone, and I think they might want to film one this year and have AMC release it. Because you're right, I agree with you. I think it's just really enjoyable to watch, and it's a new spin on this genre that we've seen a lot. So hopefully you'll see more."
The good news is that these movies have a fast turnaround. Niederpruem also told us the shoot for "Christmas with the Campbells" was only 17 days, plus a couple of months in the editing room for post-production and just two weeks of pre-production prep before the cameras were rolling. So it wouldn't be out of the question for Wild West Picture Show Productions to roll out another one of these movies in time for Christmas 2023. We'll keep our fingers crossed.