The 2005 role Billy Bob Thornton was desperate to play again: “I would do another one”
Billy Bob Thornton said he would have liked to play Morris Buttermaker again after starring in 2005’s Bad News Bears, a remake of the 1976 baseball comedy. He enjoyed the role but wanted any follow-up to preserve the original’s tone and avoid becoming a broad, “bonehead” comedy.
Thornton had not watched the original, concerned Walter Matthau’s performance might influence him, and credited director Richard Linklater with keeping the remake close to its source. Although Thornton said he planned to return to dramatic roles, he went on to make two more comedies; the article also notes his later return as Santa in the less successful 2016 sequel to Bad Santa.
In short
- Thornton said he would reprise Morris Buttermaker.
- He wanted a sequel to keep the original’s tone.
- His 2016 Bad Santa sequel was less successful.
Explained simply
Bad News Bears began as a 1976 comedy about a children’s baseball team and its reluctant coach, Morris Buttermaker. Billy Bob Thornton played Buttermaker in the 2005 remake, directed by Richard Linklater, which revisited the same story for a new audience.
Thornton’s comments reflect a wider challenge in remaking a familiar film: keeping its character and tone while making a new version. The role also sits among his comedy work, alongside his later return as Santa in the 2016 sequel to Bad Santa.