Macaulay Culkin in talks for Disney Home Alone reboot

Macaulay Culkin is in advanced talks with Disney to return to the Home Alone franchise—the 1990 comedy that made him a Hollywood star at age 10. Studio executives are reportedly courting the actor aggressively for a reboot, and a senior Hollywood production source says a firm deal may not be far away.

Thirty-six years after audiences first watched Kevin McAllister defend his suburban home after his family accidentally leaves him behind on a holiday, Culkin could once again anchor the series that defined his childhood—and an entire generation's Christmas viewing. For Disney, which acquired the franchise through its 2019 purchase of 20th Century Fox, landing the original star would represent a major nostalgia play in an era saturated with reboots.

Key Takeaways

• Macaulay Culkin is reportedly in advanced talks with Disney about a Home Alone reboot, according to the Daily Express.
• Podcaster and LA showbiz writer Matt Belloni says Disney is courting Culkin aggressively and that a revival would be "gigantic."
• Insiders expect a plot twist in which Kevin McAllister is now an adult with a child of his own.
• Culkin starred in the first two Home Alone films but skipped four later entries released between 1997 and 2021.
• The actor, who turned 46 last week, spent years distancing himself from his child-star image before gradually returning to acting.

Why is Disney courting Macaulay Culkin so aggressively?

According to podcaster and LA showbiz writer Matt Belloni, Disney studio chiefs are pursuing Culkin with unusual intensity. "They are courting him like nobody's business," Belloni told the Sunday Express, adding that a revival of the beloved Home Alone series "would be gigantic."

A senior Hollywood production executive confirmed to the Daily Express that Disney's hierarchy views bringing back the original—and still widely adored—star of the franchise's two most successful films as a major coup. "In an era of one reboot after another," the executive said, "the Disney hierarchy believes it would be a major coup to get the original and still much loved star of the first two—and most successful—Home Alone movies back on board."

Culkin captured hearts worldwide in the original 1990 blockbuster and starred in the first sequel, Home Alone 2, two years later. He did not appear in any of four more episodes released between 1997 and 2021. Disney's ownership of the entire franchise, secured through its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, gives the studio full control over any new direction.

Reuniting audiences with the actor who embodied Kevin McAllister would instantly differentiate a new entry from the string of follow-ups that followed Culkin's departure. For a studio betting on nostalgia, that distinction matters.

What would a grown-up Kevin McAllister reboot look like?

The original Home Alone centered on a young boy accidentally left behind when his family sets off on a holiday. Kevin McAllister must defend his suburban home from invaders on his own. Culkin was 10 when the first film arrived in 1990, and he reprised the role two years later for the sequel.

A straight remake of that premise no longer fits a 46-year-old Culkin. Insiders told the Daily Express that any reboot would require what one production executive called "some kind of plot flip"—Macaulay's famous character is now grown up and has a kid of his own. That generational handoff mirrors a pattern familiar from long-running franchises: the original hero becomes the parent, and a new generation inherits the chaos.

Details beyond that broad concept remain scarce. The sources do not specify a director, release window, or whether Culkin would produce as well as star. What is clear is that discussions between the actor and Disney have progressed beyond casual conversation. "I know he's been discussing all this with Disney," the senior Hollywood production executive said, "so a firm deal isn't far away."

For fans who grew up with the original films, the idea of an adult Kevin navigating parenthood—and perhaps watching his own child face a familiar kind of holiday chaos—offers rich comedic potential. It also sidesteps recasting one of cinema's most recognizable child performances.

Why did Culkin leave Home Alone after the first two films?

After Home Alone 2, Culkin appeared in a handful of additional projects—including Richie Rich—but then largely retreated from the Hollywood spotlight. The experience of child stardom, thrust upon him when he was barely old enough to grasp what cinema really meant, took a toll. As Far Out Magazine noted in a retrospective on his career, Culkin became disillusioned with living so publicly and attempted to live a normal life away from cameras.

Four more Home Alone episodes continued without him between 1997 and 2021. Culkin's relationship with his most famous role has always been complicated. When he returned to performing after years away, he deliberately chose material that shattered the wholesome Kevin McAllister image. His 2003 film Party Monster offered a bold, dark turn, while an earlier West End run in the play Madame Melville saw the 20-year-old actor tackle explicitly adult themes.

According to the Guardian, cited by Far Out Magazine, certain scenes in Madame Melville were removed to avoid shocking audiences, though a clothed sequence referencing Kama Sutra positions remained. Culkin and his co-stars refused to perform two tamer directions—one involving underpants and another with a hand on his thigh. "We thought that was too much," Culkin explained of the underpants scene. "It was going too far, too fast at that stage." That instinct to set boundaries hints at how deliberately Culkin has managed his career in the decades since Kevin McAllister.

Could this deal actually close soon?

Both the Sunday Express and Daily Express report that talks are in an advanced stage rather than early rumblings. Belloni's characterization of Disney's pursuit—and the production executive's assessment that a firm deal is near—suggest momentum is building rather than fading.

Still, until Disney or Culkin's representatives issue an official announcement, the reboot remains in the realm of reported negotiations. Hollywood deals at this level can stall over compensation, creative control, or scheduling conflicts. Culkin, who recently turned 46, maintains a lower public profile than he did at his peak, though he has remained visible through selective projects and public appearances, including the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles.

What seems undeniable is Disney's intent. Owning the Home Alone IP and possessing the resources to mount a major release, the studio has little reason to let its most valuable franchise asset—the original Kevin—slip away if Culkin is willing. For audiences on both sides of the Atlantic who have rewatched the originals for more than three decades, the prospect of Macaulay Culkin stepping back into that world carries enormous emotional weight.

Whether the reboot delivers on that promise will depend on execution, but the signal from Hollywood this weekend is unambiguous: Disney wants its original Home Alone star home again. For more on how beloved franchises evolve across generations, explore our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage.