'Home Alone' director calls Ryan Reynolds' reboot an 'insult'

Chris Columbus is not happy with the planned reboots for his classic hit "Home Alone." He called "Stoned Alone," a remake with Ryan Reynolds as producer, an "insult to the art of cinema."

The director does not think highly of reboots and called them "silly" during an oral history of his 30-year-old film with The Independent.

"When I read about something called 'Stoned Alone,' they were going to do with Ryan – it was an R-rated 'Home Alone' movie about stoners – I thought to myself, 'This is just an insult to the art of cinema,'" he said.

Columbus urged other filmmakers and actors to treat movies with respect. He thinks doing a remake or a reboot is not giving the original movie the respect it deserves.

"If you're making a comedy, a musical, no matter what film I'm making, my goal is to treat it with the same respect as if I was making 'The Godfather,'" the director said adding that "Home Alone" may not be "The Godfather," but it still needs to be treated with "that kind of respect."

"...and this idea of remaking things that already exist and are working well? Watch the original! Forget about it. It's just never going to be as good," he quipped.

"Stoned Alone" was first announced in 2018 with Reynolds slated to produce it. The remake is aimed at adults which tells the story of a 20-something weed-growing loser who misses his plane for a holiday ski trip. Similar to "Home Alone," thieves break into his house but his paranoia hinders him from thinking clearly, especially in his intoxicated state.

There has been no update yet on "Stoned Alone." Reynolds has been busy with other projects since the announcement, including appearing in "Free Guy" and "Red Notice." But another "Home Alone" reboot from Disney Plus is making progress. Disney recently announced the addition of Kenan Thompson, Chris Parnell, and Ally Maki to the cast, with the young Archie Yates taking over the lead. The film is set for release in 2021.