‘The Family Stone’ writer, director working on a sequel following Diane Keaton’s death

A sequel to The Family Stone is in the works.

Thomas Bezucha, who wrote and directed the 2005 film, said in a recent interview with CNN that he has been working on a follow-up to the original film. The original movie follows the Stone family at Christmastime as they navigate matriarch Sybil Stone’s (Diane Keaton) cancer diagnosis.

Bezucha said he was working on the new script when he learned of Keaton’s death on Oct. 11 at the age of 79.

“I’ve been haunted by the loss of Sybil for months now while I worked on it, and so this was a low on a tender bruise already,” Bezucha said. “Mentally, I’ve been spending time in that house where I’ve been missing her for a while already.”

He added that Keaton’s death made him want to “do a good job by the rest of the cast” and “honor her even more.”

Keaton starred alongside Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Tyrone Giordano, Brian J. White, Elizabeth Reaser, Paul Schneider and Jamie Kaler in The Family Stone.

The film, which was produced by 20th Century Fox and has since been acquired by Disney, follows businesswoman Meredith (Parker), who accompanies her boyfriend, Everett (Mulroney), to his family’s Christmas celebration and learns she’s a fish out of water in their spirited way of life.

Bezucha said that when he first took his idea for a sequel to his producer, he said he was only interested in making a second film if it involved the principal cast.

“I’m not interested in the Brady family reunion without the original Jan,” he said, adding that when he reached out to the rest of the cast, he received “positive responses.”

According to CNN, the sequel film has not yet been greenlit. Good Morning America has reached out to 20th Century Studios for comment.

Disney is the parent company of 20th Century Studios and ABC News.