Jean Smart Joins ‘The Families Stone’ Sequel Cast, Days After Historic Fifth Emmy Win

Searchlight Pictures is bringing the sequel to the 2005 Christmas cult film ‘The Family Stone,’ titled ‘The Families Stone.’ The fresh news, confirmed by Variety and Deadline via JustJared, ScreenRant and Laughing Place, marks the reunion of one of the most beloved holiday romantic comedies, more than two decades after the original.

The first new star joining the cast is Jean Smart, 75, fresh off her historic fifth Emmy win for her role as Deborah Vance in ‘Hacks.’ She will play the woman with whom the family patriarch, Kelly Stone (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen in love — the character who upsets the family’s balance at the festive reunion.

According to the official logline: “Twenty years after the death of their mother, the Stone family reunites for Christmas, only to face the season’s biggest surprise: their father has unexpectedly invited the woman he has fallen in love with to meet the family.”

Alongside Smart, nearly all the original leads return: Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Tyrone Giordano, Elizabeth Reaser, Paul Schneider and Brian White. The story takes place 20 years after the death of matriarch Sybil Stone, played in the original film by Diane Keaton, who died in real life in October 2025 at age 79.

Behind the camera returns Thomas Bezucha, the writer and director of the 2005 film, who will also write and direct the sequel. Filming is expected to begin this fall in New York, while the release date has not yet been announced. For Jean Smart, this is her first film role since ‘Babylon’ (2022).

Source: JustJared