‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ To Get A Reboot

Though February is considered Black History Month, this year it seems that Hollywood is turning it into “Reboot Month”. Less than two weeks into the month, and we’ve already gotten word on a reboot for Daredevil, The Thing, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, and word that the Spider-Man reboot will be in 3-D.

It seems that Tinseltown and New Line Studios is setting their sights on another classic franchise, in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The original, which started in 1983, beget 4 sequels, including the direct-to-DVD film Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure. From Variety:

The latest project, which will no longer carry the National Lampoon credit, is being described as more of an update than a sequel and will be closer in tone to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” than the previous chapters. Story will focus on Rusty Griswold, now a grown man, who decides to take his own wife and kids on a road trip to Wally World before it closes forever. Chase is not attached at this time to reprise his role as Clark Griswold, now a grandfather.

Though New Line is slating the film as a “reboot”, it actually feels more like a sequel, with the original Griswolds still hanging around. The studio has already tapped Jonathan Goldstein and former Freaks and Geeks star John Francis Daley to write the script.

The film is still in the early planning stages, with King of Kong director Seth Gordon taking the helm and Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin producing. No word yet on who will be taking on the role of “Rusty”, after such names like Anthony Michael Hall, Johnny Galecki, and Ethan Embry once played him.