The Family Stone Director Is Working on Sequel After Diane Keaton’s Death

A sequel to the holiday classic The Family Stone is in the works more than one month after the death of the film’s original star Diane Keaton.

Keaton portrayed matriarch Sybil Stone in the 2005 movie written and directed by Thomas Bezucha. Bezucha, 61, revealed that the story of the Stone family isn’t over following Sybil’s cancer death at the end of the original movie.

“I’ve been haunted by the loss of Sybil for months now while I worked on it, and so this was a blow on a tender bruise already,” the filmmaker told CNN on Wednesday, November 19, while reflecting on working with Keaton. “Mentally, I’ve been spending time in that house where I’ve been missing her for a while already.”

Keaton died on October 11 at age 79. Her cause of death was listed as bacterial pneumonia with no underlying causes. She is survived by her two kids, Dexter, 29, and Duke, 25.

For Bezucha, continuing the story with a sequel is a way to “honor” Keaton and “do a good job by the rest of the cast.” Though no official casting announcements have been made, Bezucha told the outlet that he did reach out to the original cast members, who were pretty receptive to the idea of potentially reprising their roles.

Along with Keaton, The Family Stone starred Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Reaser and Craig T. Nelson. Bezucha noted he was only on board for a sequel if the main cast members were interested in returning.

“I’m not interested in the Brady family reunion without the original Jan,” he remarked.

Keaton’s death sent shockwaves through Hollywood, prompting heartfelt tributes from many of her former costars, family and friends.

“The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11,” the actress’ family said in a statement to People on October 16.

The statement continued, “She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”

Mulroney, who shared the screen with Keaton in The Family Stone, reflected on Keaton’s death amid speculation about The Family Stone sequel earlier this month.

“It broke us all up,” he told The New York Post on November 11.

“I had lunch with Tom Bezucha, the director of The Family Stone, the week before. So we spoke so much about Diane,” Mulroney, 62, continued. “Even then, I didn’t know that she was going to go so soon. She’d just been on my lips a few days before. So it really impacted me. And I was in touch with him and a few other people around that film.”

Mulroney called Keaton a “leader” who was “embraced” by her costars on set.

“She could have fed us crumbs, and yet she gave it her all, and we all got really close,” the Hunting Wives star recalled of Keaton. “So it was quite an incredible process. The filming of The Family Stone had its own lifespan in that way. So many things happened during it.”

At the time, Mulroney was asked about a possible sequel to the beloved Christmas film.

“Is there any discussion about making a follow-up? Yes,” he said. “That’ll be the answer that I leave as brief.”