The idea that anyone wants to see not just another sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation, but one that focuses on Rusty Griswold, is baffling. This feels like the movie that will make a lot of people sit back and say “Well, maybe you should just remake the original,” since the concept of having Clark Griswold hand down the mantle of bad family vacations to his son simply seems forced.
But that’s the current plan for the next Vacation movie, set up at New Line with David Dobkin, director of Wedding Crashers. In this film Rusty would be all grown up and with a family of his own. The studio is interested in having cameos by Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, but they’re still just spitballing at this stage. Oh, and it won’t be National Lampoon’s anything, as Warner Bros owns the rights completely.
This will likely be the fifth different Rusty, as each of the films have featured a different actor in the role. I hope Dobkin and friends figure out the huge continuity problem plaguing the Vacationverse, namely that Rusty barely aged between National Lampoon’s Vacation in 1983 and the awful Vegas Vacation in 1997*. Just how old is Rusty Griswold anyway?!? Fans demand to know.
Seriously, though, why not just remake the original? Or if you want a sequel, have Clark and Ellen taking some sort of senior trip or something. I don’t know, the concept of continuing this franchise by passing the torch to the next generation feels simply rancid, and I’d rather see a fresh restart using just the title, basic comedic premise and characters and going from there.
* I do admit I like all the Nick Papagiorgio stuff, though.