Bad Santa was one of those great dark comedies whose legacy lives on. It took its title, and its premise, and totally delivered on it. As it stands, it probably doesn’t need a sequel. It can live on as its own nasty treat, and a piece of ideal counter-programming, for the holidays. But that hasn’t stopped Broad Green Pictures from putting together a follow-up. Billy Bob Thornton has agreed to return, as have original cast members Tony Cox and Brett Kelly. The newest piece of the puzzle fell into place recently when it was announced that the film had found its director.

Mark Waters, perhaps best known for his two Lindsay Lohan collaborations, Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, has been tapped to shepherd Bad Santa back to the big screen. The project is being fast-tracked, with the hope that it will be released during next year’s holiday season. As such, they’re going to begin filming in January.

They’ll be working off of a script written by Johnny Rosenthal, Doug Ellin, and Shauna Cross. The original was directed by Terry Zwigoff, written by Glenn Ficcara and John Sequa, and the R-rated comedy turned a $23 million budget into $76 million in box office receipts. 

SOURCE: Yahoo! Movies