Back in August, Disney chief Robert Iger announced that the studio would be developing reboots/re-imaginings of several family-friendly hits for its forthcoming streaming service Disney+, including Home Alone. At the time, we said that Dan Mazer was the top choice to direct, and now Collider can report that Mazer is in talks to direct the movie.

Saturday Night Live‘s Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell co-wrote the script, which is expected to follow a married couple who go to war with a young boy who has stolen something from them — a twist on the original premise of a young boy who goes to war with a pair of inept thieves looking to rob his house.

Hutch Parker will produce alongside Dan Wilson, who serves as the president of Hutch Parker Entertainment. Production is expected to start in the first quarter of 2020, so expect casting to get underway soon. As I wrote two months ago, Melissa McCarthy has been rumored to be Disney’s top target for the Home Alone reboot, but she’s not officially attached yet, according to sources. Still, a McCarthy-Will Ferrell pairing on this Disney+ project would surely boost subscriptions to the nascent streaming service, which will need A-list stars to compliment its impressive library of IP.

Of course, the ultimate success of the Home Alone reboot will hinge on the casting of its young star, and while the role is written for a boy, I still think Disney+ should be doing everything possible to get into business with Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star Julia Butters, who went toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio and stood her ground. The studio should consider gender-flipping the role if she’s available, but if not, they should look at Good Boys star Brady Noon, who was hilarious as the foul-mouthed Thor and brought a certain sweetness to that role. He might be a couple years too old for the part, though, if they’re intent on casting a 9-year-old.

The original Home Alone grossed more than $475 million grossed worldwide, making it the #1 movie of 1990. Its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, took in $358 million worldwide, so the decision to reboot the Fox franchise makes a lot of sense. Fox has suffered a notable string of flops since the studio officially merged with Disney, though Ford v Ferrari is right around the corner and expected to be a hit with both critics and audiences, judging from its reception at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mazer is a longtime Sacha Baron Cohen collaborator who also wrote and produced Bruno, executive produced The Dictator, and served as writer-director on the comedian’s divisive Showtime series Who Is America? He also directed Dirty Grandpa and I Give It a Year, and wrote Office Christmas Party and Bridget Jones’s Baby. His next film, the teen comedy The Exchange, stars Ed Oxenbould, Avan Jogia and Justin Hartley. Mazer is represented by CAA, 3 Arts Entertainment and United Agents.

Seidell is a veteran comedy scribe who came out of the CollegeHumor scene, while SNL star Day was recently seen in Brittany Runs a Marathon and Universal’s Little. He’ll soon be seen in Adam Sandler‘s next Netflix movie Hubie Halloween. He’s repped by ICM Partners, while WME and Artists First rep Seidell. The Observer broke the news of their hiring.

Archie Yates, Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney will star in Disney Plus’ “Home Alone” reboot.

Dan Mazer is on board to direct the film from a script by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell.

Sources say Yates will not be playing the iconic Kevin McCallister, but a new character in a similar premise to the original franchise. In the original 1990 film, Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, is accidentally left behind while his family heads to Paris over the holidays. During that time, he must protect his house from a pair of burglars, portrayed by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.


Though originally thought to be Yates’ parents, sources now say Kemper and Delaney will be playing someone else in the film, possibly another couple not related to Yates.