Will There Ever Be A Sequel To The Holiday? Here's What We Know
(Welcome to Will There Be a Sequel?, a series where we answer that question and explore what comes next.)
This year marks the 15th anniversary of "The Holiday," writer/director Nancy Meyers' (mostly) delightful romantic comedy about two women who travel across the world to swap houses around Christmastime and end up falling in love with local men during their trip. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz play the two central women, while Jack Black and Jude Law both leave quite an impression as their respective love interests. (Black even made our list of the most under-appreciated romantic leading men in movies.)
The original film has firmly secured its place in the annual yuletide movie rotation, but will "The Holiday 2" ever happen? Here's what we know about a possible sequel.
There Are No Current Plans for The Holiday 2...
For those who are champing at the bit to see these characters interacting on screen again, you'll unfortunately have to keep on champing: "The Holiday 2" is not in the works. Yet. Not only that, but Nancy Meyers has not directed a feature film since 2015's "The Intern," which is practically criminal considering her track record (and could possibly be a consequence of Hollywood's systematic misogyny, but that's a subject for another article). But there are so many questions left unanswered that a sequel could address: Did Kate Winslet's Iris truly become the leading lady of her own life? Will Cameron Diaz's Amanda ever sprint through the woods wearing high heels again? And most importantly, how will Jack Black's Miles seduce women now that Blockbuster has gone out of business?
...But A Few Key People Seem Up For It
But even though there isn't anything concrete in the works, a few major players have expressed interest in the idea of returning to that world. In 2015, Marie Claire asked Meyers if she would be up for making "The Holiday 2," and the filmmaker seemed open to the idea:
"That would be so interesting. I'm gonna email Jude [Law] and [ask] 'Shall we?'"
When asked what might happen in a sequel should she ever get to make one, Meyers had an answer:
"I wonder where they would all be living now. I imagine that Jude and Cameron are – well, he's got kids, you know? I think by now they have kids. She's probably living in London. I think [Kate] is living in L.A. I think that maybe would be where I would take it."
And it turns out Law was already on board with the concept. A year earlier, Glamour asked him if he would ever come back for a sequel, and he responded:
"That's a good idea. Yeah, course! Absolutely."
When asked if he would bring back the beloved Mr. Napkin Head, Law said no. "The girls will be grown up, y'see, so they wouldn't want me to do it," he replied. "I'd be the sort of dad that'd do it and they'd be like, 'Dad, what are y'doin?'"
Meanwhile, Glamour caught up with Winslet in 2015 and asked if she, like Law, might be up for "The Holiday 2."
"Oh my God, Jude. That's hysterical. I've never been asked that question. Would I be up for a sequel to 'The Holiday'? Yeah, actually. I really would. I had a lovely time making that film. And it gives people so much pleasure. That's a good idea. They should do another one. Let's make it happen."
Of course, this may have been a case of everyone saying "sure" solely to appease interviewers. Considering so many years have gone by since the first film, it seems unlikely a sequel will ever actually materialize. But then again, if Hollywood continues down this bleak path of mining every single piece of recognizable intellectual property for sequels, reboots, and remakes, then maybe it's only a matter of time until we get "The Holiday 2: Another House Switcheroo."