oh please yes

'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Director Has The Best Idea For A Prequel

And the leading star says, "f*ck yeah."

by Sarah Aswell
Jack the Pumpkin King from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas."
IMDB/Disney

This is not a drill! There is a tiny chance — like a snowflake’s chance in October — that The Nightmare Before Christmas could, at some time in the future, have a prequel.

According to a 30th anniversary interview with People, director Harry Selnick said that not only would he totally direct a prequel of the beloved classic holiday movie, but that he’s already got a great idea for the plot.

Do tell.

The subject came up when Selnick was asked if there would ever be a sequel to the movie, which has stolen the black, dried up hearts of Spooky Season lovers for three decades. He demurred, saying that Nightmare was, "a perfect movie [that] came out of the perfect time, only to grow into something far bigger over the years,” referencing how the film was not a runaway hit when it was released in 1993, but that its cult following has only grown over time.

He also said that there just hasn’t been any great ideas for a sequel that would merit the huge amount of time and effort put into the intricately detailed stop-action movie.

"I think Tim in particular feels like, why mess with that?" he continued. "He certainly doesn't need to make more money from a sequel. He has had so many other successes, and so far nobody's come up with a great idea for a sequel. And I still think that Tim gets to decide. I don't think there's any idea that would convince him."

But — what about a prequel? Well, that could be a different story, according the director, who’s also known for favorites Coraline and James and the Giant Peach.

"It might be more interesting to do a prequel," Selick says. "There might be a more interesting story there about how Jack became the King of Halloweentown."

Would. Watch.

While it isn’t clear if Tim Burton would sign on to such a project — speaking of nostalgic creepy movies, he’s busy making Beetlejuice 2 with Jenna Ortega right now — other original cast members are totally up for it.

For example, Chris Sarandon, who voiced Jack, would "absolutely" jump at the chance to be in the prequel. After all, he still lends his vocal cords to other Jack-related projects, like video games and live performances.

"To quote Henry, 'F*ck yeah,'" he told People. "If there were a sequel, I'd be there in a minute."

So would a lot of other folks! I’ve got all of my long-creepy skeleton fingers crossed.