Billy Bob Thornton Teases Return in Bad Santa 3

Landman star and Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton has teased a return to his R-rated Bad Santa franchise, saying he may reprise a character that is not all that dissimilar to Landman’s oil-company fixer Tommy Norris. The 2003 original introduced Thornton as Willie T.

Soke, a foul-mouthed alcoholic who poses as a mall Santa to rob a shopping center before Christmas Eve. The film, led by Thornton alongside Tony Cox, John Ritter and Bernie Mac, grossed $76.5 million against a $23 million budget and earned 78% and 75% scores from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

A follow-up was confirmed in 2015 with Thornton and Cox set to return and Kathy Bates joining as Willie’s mother. Thornton has said he agreed to Bad Santa 2 largely as fan service. While the 2016 sequel bombed at the box office, it was still described as a worthy follow-up and left the door open for another installment.

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