In Paramount Pictures’ new comedy Daddy’s Home 2, the sequel to the 2015 global smash, father and stepfather, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell), have joined forces to provide their kids with the perfect Christmas. Their newfound partnership is put to the test when Dusty’s old-school, macho dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and emotional dad (John Lithgow) arrive just in time to throw the holiday into complete chaos.
For the filmmakers, Daddy’s Home 2 was a chance to mine more comedy from real life family dynamics.
“The first movie was kind of a bromance, watching these two very different characters come together for the sake of the kids,” explains writer/director Sean Anders. “We weren’t thinking about a sequel when we made the first movie, but we loved the idea of the dads’ dads showing up for Christmas and adding another complicated layer to the conflict between the two of them. The idea was too good to pass up.”
Anders continues, “We set the story at Christmas because it can be a really difficult time for blended families, figuring out who’s going where on what day, leading to a lot of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. The humor and conflict come from a very relatable, grounded place.”
“In my mind, it seemed obvious to me that Daddy’s Home 2 would need to have more dads,” offers producer and co-writer John Morris. “And seeing Brad and Dusty’s fathers offer us an idea of how they became who they are.”
The prospect of reuniting the cast from the first film also proved to be a major draw for the creative team. Anders admits, “We couldn’t pass up the chance to work with Will, Mark, Linda and the kids again. Will always brings something crazy and fun. Mark brings such incredible sincerity to every role he plays. Linda is a world class actress who’s super fun to have on set. Scarlett and Owen are such reliable actors, I’m glad we were able to make a sequel before they grew out of the roles. I couldn’t imagine doing a sequel without them.”
Says producer Chris Henchy: “We wanted keep everything that people loved about the first film, but go even bigger. The family has grown: Brad and Sara have a new baby, Griffy. Dusty’s now married to Karen, played by Alessandra Ambrosio, and has become stepdad to Adriana, played by Didi Costine. They’re both returning from the first film with larger roles, as is John Cena as Roger, Karen’s ex-husband. There’s already a lot of complicated layers to this blended family, and Mel Gibson and John Lithgow provide a real powder keg to fuel the insanity.”
In Philippine cinemas November 29, Daddy’s Home 2 is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.
