One month after Diane Keaton’s passing at 79, The Family Stone writer-director Thomas Bezucha has revealed he’s actively developing a follow-up to his beloved 2005 holiday dramedy — a new chapter designed to honor the late Oscar winner’s legacy and the character she made unforgettable.
Speaking to CNN in November 2025, Bezucha confirmed he’s been crafting a sequel that revisits the Stone family years after the events of the first film, with Keaton’s memory front and center in his approach.
The Family Stone Sequel Is Moving Forward
Bezucha, who wrote and directed the original ensemble crowd-pleaser, said the news of Keaton’s death deepened an already emotional writing process. “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,” he shared, referencing Keaton’s matriarch Sybil Stone. “Mentally, I’ve been spending time in that house where I’ve been missing her for a while already.”
In The Family Stone, Keaton’s Sybil anchors the sprawling, spirited clan whose dynamics come to a boil over the holidays as personal revelations — including Sybil’s breast cancer diagnosis — collide with new relationships and old resentments. Keaton’s fierce, funny, and deeply humane performance remains a defining element of the film’s appeal.
Bezucha emphasized that the sequel is being shaped with respect for that legacy. He explained that the goal is to honor Keaton’s work while telling a story that feels authentic to the Stones and the actors who originated them. “I want to do a good job by the rest of the cast,” he said, adding that the project aims to “honor [Keaton] even more.”
Original Cast Involvement Is Essential
While development is underway, Bezucha was clear about one nonnegotiable: he only wants to proceed if the original ensemble returns. “I’m not interested in the Brady family reunion without the original Jan,” he quipped, underscoring how integral the cast is to any continuation.
According to Bezucha, he’s already approached key players about the idea and has been met with “unanimously positive responses.” However, he cautioned that no deals are in place yet and the film has not been officially greenlit. That means timing, schedules, and the final shape of the story remain in flux as development continues.
The 2005 movie famously assembled a standout cast alongside Keaton, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Reaser, and Craig T. Nelson, among others. The interplay among those performers — and the film’s blend of humor and tenderness — helped turn The Family Stone into a perennial holiday favorite.
With the sequel, Bezucha appears interested in revisiting those dynamics through the lens of time, grief, and renewal — subjects baked into the Stones’ original story and the family’s ongoing evolution.
Remembering Diane Keaton’s Legacy
Diane Keaton died on October 11, 2025, due to pneumonia. Her family confirmed the news days later, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support. “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,” read the statement shared on October 16, 2025, per People.
The family also highlighted the causes that mattered most to Keaton. “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,” the statement continued.
Keaton, an Academy Award winner whose career spanned decades across film, television, and stage, was also a devoted mother to two children, daughter Dexter and son Duke, whom she adopted in 1996 and 2001.
Her performance as Sybil Stone stands among her most resonant late-career roles — an indelible portrait of a mother both formidable and fragile, and a reminder of Keaton’s unmatched ability to layer humor with aching humanity. It’s that spirit Bezucha is determined to honor as he returns to the Stone household.
For now, The Family Stone sequel remains in development, with no official start date or studio announcement. Still, the momentum Bezucha describes — and the enthusiasm he’s hearing from the original ensemble — suggests the Stones may yet gather again. If and when they do, the project will carry the weight of remembrance and the warmth of a family story that continues to bring audiences together each holiday season.
As Bezucha put it, he’s been back in that house for some time, writing his way through loss. The hope is that the next visit, when it comes, will give the Stones and their fans a meaningful way to celebrate Diane Keaton — and the enduring bonds that made The Family Stone a modern classic.
