Searchlight Announces 'The Families Stone,' a Sequel to the 2005 Holiday Film
Photo Credit: Fox/Disney
by Chris Tremblay Sep 12
3 MIN READ
Searchlight Pictures announced on Saturday that a sequel to "The Family Stone", the 2005 holiday comedy-drama, is moving forward under the title "The Families Stone".
The project will reunite many of the original film’s central performers, including Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Tyrone Giordano, Elizabeth Reaser, Paul Schneider and Brian White.
The returning actors are expected to reprise their original roles as members of the Stone family and its extended circle.
The announced returning cast includes McAdams as Amy Stone, Parker as Meredith Morton, Danes as Julie Morton, Mulroney as Everett Stone, Nelson as Kelly Stone, Wilson as Ben Stone, Giordano as Thad Stone, Reaser as Susannah Stone, Schneider as Brad Stevenson and White as Patrick Thomas.
The Hollywood Reporter also identified Parker, McAdams and Wilson among the returning performers in its report on the sequel.
No release date has been announced for "The Families Stone".
Searchlight’s synopsis places the sequel 20 years after the death of the Stone family’s mother.
The story will bring the family together for Christmas, where Kelly Stone has unexpectedly invited the woman he has fallen in love with to meet the family.
That setup shifts the focus from the original film’s introduction of Meredith Morton to the Stones toward a new relationship involving Kelly, the family patriarch.
The announcement does not identify the actor who will play Kelly’s new romantic partner.
The synopsis also does not specify how the film will portray the family’s life during the intervening two decades.
The sequel’s premise acknowledges the absence of Sybil, the character played by Diane Keaton in the first film.
Keaton died in October 2025 at age 79, according to reporting about the sequel’s development.
Tom Bezucha is returning to write and direct "The Families Stone".
Bezucha wrote and directed the original "The Family Stone", which centered on Meredith’s visit to Everett’s family home during the Christmas season.
Michael London is returning as a producer, with Shannon Gaulding also producing for Groundswell Productions.
Parker and Alison Benson are also attached as producers through Pretty Matches Productions.
Production is scheduled to take place in New York this fall, according to Deadline.
The announcement does not provide a production budget, a planned completion date or a release window.
The sequel had been discussed publicly before Searchlight confirmed the project.
In November 2025, Bezucha said he was developing a follow-up to the original film.
At that stage, the project had not received an official green light and no cast members had formally committed, Variety reported.
Bezucha had nevertheless expressed a preference for bringing back the original ensemble.
That earlier development process followed Keaton’s death and raised the question of how a continuation could address the loss of Sybil without the actor who originated the role.
Parker previously described the prospect of continuing the story as emotionally difficult because of Keaton’s absence.
The current announcement resolves the project’s earlier uncertainty about whether a substantial portion of the original cast would participate.
"The Family Stone" followed Meredith, a business executive played by Parker, as she traveled with Everett to spend Christmas with his family.
The original film presented the Stones as an extended family whose holiday gathering brought personal disagreements and romantic tensions into the open.
Keaton played Sybil, the family matriarch, while Nelson played Kelly, her husband and the father of the Stone siblings.
The sequel’s premise places Kelly at the center of a comparable family introduction, but with the father bringing a new partner into the household rather than one of his children introducing a prospective spouse.
Variety reported that the original film was released in December 2005 and earned approximately $92 million worldwide against an $18 million budget.
The confirmed creative team consists of Bezucha as writer-director and the returning producers named by Deadline.
The announced principal cast consists of nine returning performers from the original film, excluding Keaton, whose character’s death is part of the sequel’s time frame.
The film is expected to enter production in New York during fall 2026.
Searchlight has not announced additional casting, a trailer, a budget or a theatrical or streaming release date.
For now, the confirmed premise is a Christmas reunion centered on Kelly Stone’s new relationship and the family’s response to it.
The returning actors are expected to reprise their original roles as members of the Stone family and its extended circle.
The announced returning cast includes McAdams as Amy Stone, Parker as Meredith Morton, Danes as Julie Morton, Mulroney as Everett Stone, Nelson as Kelly Stone, Wilson as Ben Stone, Giordano as Thad Stone, Reaser as Susannah Stone, Schneider as Brad Stevenson and White as Patrick Thomas.
The Hollywood Reporter also identified Parker, McAdams and Wilson among the returning performers in its report on the sequel.
No release date has been announced for "The Families Stone".
The New Christmas Story
Searchlight’s synopsis places the sequel 20 years after the death of the Stone family’s mother.
The story will bring the family together for Christmas, where Kelly Stone has unexpectedly invited the woman he has fallen in love with to meet the family.
That setup shifts the focus from the original film’s introduction of Meredith Morton to the Stones toward a new relationship involving Kelly, the family patriarch.
The announcement does not identify the actor who will play Kelly’s new romantic partner.
The synopsis also does not specify how the film will portray the family’s life during the intervening two decades.
The sequel’s premise acknowledges the absence of Sybil, the character played by Diane Keaton in the first film.
Keaton died in October 2025 at age 79, according to reporting about the sequel’s development.
Bezucha Returns
Tom Bezucha is returning to write and direct "The Families Stone".
Bezucha wrote and directed the original "The Family Stone", which centered on Meredith’s visit to Everett’s family home during the Christmas season.
Michael London is returning as a producer, with Shannon Gaulding also producing for Groundswell Productions.
Parker and Alison Benson are also attached as producers through Pretty Matches Productions.
Production is scheduled to take place in New York this fall, according to Deadline.
The announcement does not provide a production budget, a planned completion date or a release window.
From Development to Official Announcement
The sequel had been discussed publicly before Searchlight confirmed the project.
In November 2025, Bezucha said he was developing a follow-up to the original film.
At that stage, the project had not received an official green light and no cast members had formally committed, Variety reported.
Bezucha had nevertheless expressed a preference for bringing back the original ensemble.
That earlier development process followed Keaton’s death and raised the question of how a continuation could address the loss of Sybil without the actor who originated the role.
Parker previously described the prospect of continuing the story as emotionally difficult because of Keaton’s absence.
The current announcement resolves the project’s earlier uncertainty about whether a substantial portion of the original cast would participate.
The Original Film’s Place in the Story
"The Family Stone" followed Meredith, a business executive played by Parker, as she traveled with Everett to spend Christmas with his family.
The original film presented the Stones as an extended family whose holiday gathering brought personal disagreements and romantic tensions into the open.
Keaton played Sybil, the family matriarch, while Nelson played Kelly, her husband and the father of the Stone siblings.
The sequel’s premise places Kelly at the center of a comparable family introduction, but with the father bringing a new partner into the household rather than one of his children introducing a prospective spouse.
Variety reported that the original film was released in December 2005 and earned approximately $92 million worldwide against an $18 million budget.
What Is Known So Far
The confirmed creative team consists of Bezucha as writer-director and the returning producers named by Deadline.
The announced principal cast consists of nine returning performers from the original film, excluding Keaton, whose character’s death is part of the sequel’s time frame.
The film is expected to enter production in New York during fall 2026.
Searchlight has not announced additional casting, a trailer, a budget or a theatrical or streaming release date.
For now, the confirmed premise is a Christmas reunion centered on Kelly Stone’s new relationship and the family’s response to it.
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