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Reports of a sequel to the 2004 film The Polar Express, titled The Christmas Express, recently circulated on the internet. The rumors originated from a Facebook post shared by an account named Yoda Bby Aby on November 22, 2024.
However, the news is not true, as the producers of the original film have not disclosed anything related to a follow-up project. Additionally, Yoda Bby Aby's bio says that their main focus is satirical news, and the claim that The Polar Express sequel is arriving on HBO Max on December 20 this year is false.
The post featured a poster with Tom Hanks alongside the title The Christmas Express, appearing below the Warner Bros. Pictures logo. The caption included details related to the premise, stating:
"Tom Hanks stars as Woodford Newton, a dedicated train conductor whose life changes forever after a fateful encounter leads him to become the guiding force behind the Polar Express. The magical prequel reveals the origins of a beloved Christmas tradition, spreading joy and wonder to children everywhere."
Netizens took to the comments section of the post to share their reactions, with many believing that the news was true and expressing excitement about the sequel's arrival.
Reports of The Polar Express sequel went viral on another occasion
While Yoda Bby Aby's Facebook post was revealed to be fake, it featured the same poster that trended on social media last year. In November 2023, rumors about The Polar Express sequel went viral due to this same poster.
The details in the two posters remain largely unchanged, except for the release date, which was December 2023, and the background, which seemingly featured a staircase. The poster is fan-made, as reported by Radio Times. Notably, the latest one shared on Facebook shows Tom Hanks standing in a natural spot, and the release date is missing.
Yoda Bby Aby's social media page frequently shares posts about projects that have not been officially announced. They had previously uploaded a poster of a "modern reimagining" of Stephen King's The Shining, featuring Ray Nicholson as Jack Torrance.
Polar Express was helmed by Robert Zemeckis, and producer Gary Goetzman told ComicBook.com earlier this year in a conversation that they were working on a sequel. He even mentioned a few other films for which he wanted to make sequels and continued:
"That would be a ball to do right about now. But it becomes, there's so much involved with, 'Who's artistic property would that be? Would that be?' It's just not like, 'Hey, let's go do another free sailing! So, they all take time and that's okay because we don't mind things going slowly. But that is trying to be worked out now, for sure, Polar 2. Yes."
As of now, there have been no updates about The Polar Express sequel. The animated film originally managed to accumulate more than $200 million at the box office. Apart from Tom Hanks, it featured Nona Gaye, Peter Scolari, Eddie Deezen, and many others.
