According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-delayed reboot of the four-film franchise that began with 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation may be gaining some momentum with Thor star Chris Hemsworth and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Pacific Rim actor Charlie Day in talks to join the cast. The film is intended to reboot the franchise after 1997’s Vegas Vacation became the lowest-grossing film in the series, and will be a pseudo-sequel to the 1983 film with various characters returning for another cross-country adventure.
The Hangover actor Ed Helms has already been cast as a grown-up Rusty Griswold — the son of franchise star Chevy Chase’s character, Clark Griswold — who intends to take his family on a road trip to Walley World, the same California theme park that he visited when he was young. Christina Applegate will play his wife, with Hemsworth in negotiations to play the husband of Rusty’s sister, Audrey. Day is in talks to play a river-rafting guide that the family encounters during their trip.
Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, who played Clark’s wife Ellen in the series, are expected to make cameos in the film in order to pass the torch and connect the old series to the new chapter.
The film’s script was penned by Horrible Bosses screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and the pair will make their directorial debut with the project. It’s expected to begin shooting in September.
