The actress Jean Smart, who recently won her fifth Emmy for her role as Deborah Vance in Hacks, will be joining the Stone family for the holidays in the upcoming sequel to the 2005 holiday classic The Family Stone. Searchlight Pictures is making the film, and much of the original cast is returning.
The follow-up film is called The Families Stone, and it reunites almost all of the original cast. Claire Danes plays Julie Morton again, while Rachel McAdams takes on the role of Amy Stone. Dermot Mulroney reprises his part as Everett Stone, with Craig T. Nelson returning as Kelly Stone. Sarah Jessica Parker appears once more as Meredith Morton, and Luke Wilson comes back as Ben Stone. Tyrone Giordano shows up as Thad Stone, with Elizabeth Reaser playing Susannah Stone. Paul Schneider and Brian White round out the group as Brad Stevenson and Patrick Thomas, respectively.
The Father’s Surprise Guest
The Families Stone’s official logline introduces the setup, which is presented as a single sentence. It reads: “Twenty years after their mother’s passing, the Stone family reunites for Christmas only to face the season’s biggest surprise: their father has unexpectedly invited the woman he’s fallen in love with to meet the family.”
Everett’s First Visit
The 2005 film centers on Everett (Mulroney), the oldest son of the Stone family, who brings his uptight girlfriend, Meredith (Parker), home to meet his parents — played by Diane Keaton and Nelson — and siblings — played by Wilson, McAdams, Giordano and Reaser — during Christmas. Everett intended to propose to Meredith, but when the family greeted her with hostility, she asked her sister, Julie (Danes), to come along for support, setting off a chaotic holiday visit.
Diane Keaton’s Death
The original film ends with Sybil Stone dying from a fatal disease. Keaton died of primary bacterial pneumonia in October 2025, aged 79.
“After the death of Diane Keaton, it’ll be even more meaningful because she was so great to be around on the first one,” Wilson said to Entertainment Tonight in July.
The Holiday Staple
Since its release, The Family Stone has earned $92.9 million globally and now ranks among the most beloved holiday films.
Smart’s Career
The veteran actress has eight Emmys, three SAG Awards, two Golden Globes and six Critics Choice Awards to her credit. She recently finished the fifth and final season of Hacks. Her filmography includes Babylon, Garden State, Sweet Home Alabama, Mare of Easttown, Watchmen and Fargo. She will appear alongside an unnamed co-star in the romantic comedy Egg Baby, produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
The Creative Team
The writer and director of the first film, Bezucha, is coming back for the sequel to write and direct it again. The cameras will start rolling this fall in New York.
Groundswell Productions’ Michael London and Shannon Gaulding join Pretty Matches Productions’ Parker and Alison Benson among the producers. Smart is represented by WME and Untitled Entertainment.
What Comes Next
This fall, production on The Families Stone is set to begin in New York.
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Julie Morton | Claire Danes |
| Amy Stone | Rachel McAdams |
| Everett Stone | Dermot Mulroney |
| Kelly Stone | Craig T. Nelson |
| Meredith Morton | Sarah Jessica Parker |
| Ben Stone | Luke Wilson |
| Thad Stone | Tyrone Giordano |
| Susannah Stone | Elizabeth Reaser |
| Brad Stevenson | Paul Schneider |
| Patrick Thomas | Brian White |
The Stones come together again in The Families Stone, and though the film keeps the shape of its predecessor, it gives the group a fresh purpose for their reunion.
Source material: “Jean Smart Joins ‘The Family Stone’ Sequel With Original Cast Returning,” The Hollywood Reporter.
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