‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Director on His Idea for a Potential Prequel

Thirty years after The Nightmare Before Christmas was released, director Henry Selick is sharing the idea he has for a potential prequel.

In an interview with People magazine, published online Friday, the filmmaker admitted that he wouldn’t be jumping at the idea of making a sequel due to the large amount of work associated with the first film, saying it’s “a perfect movie [that] came out of the perfect time, only to grow into something far bigger over the years.”

He added, “I think Tim [Burton] in particular feels like, why mess with that? 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 one idea isn’t completely off the table. Selick noted that he may be more inclined to do a prequel. “There might be a more interesting story there about how Jack became the King of Halloween Town,” the Coraline director explained.

As for if any of the original cast would return for another film, Chris Sarandon said he “absolutely” would reprise his role, voicing Jack Skellington.

“To quote Henry, ‘Fuck yeah,’ ” he told the outlet. “If there were a sequel, I’d be there in a minute.”

The 1993 stop-motion animated movie, from a story created by Burton, follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he stumbles into Christmas Town. After being so intrigued with the idea of Christmas, he tries to recreate it in his town instead of Halloween.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is currently streaming on Disney+.