In 2018, news emerged that Ryan Reynolds was to star and produce in “Stoned Alone,” which, as its title suggests, was a marijuana-infused reboot of the festive classic “Home Alone.” The project was set to center around a 20-something stoner who, after missing the plane for his skiing vacation, finds himself and his home under attack from some opportunistic thieves.

Unsurprisingly, the general reaction to the concept was that Reynolds was essentially ruining the childhoods of every kid who grew up with the original. And the director wasn’t exactly overjoyed by the prospect, either. In fact, Chris Columbus described the proposed movie as “an insult to the art of cinema.”

In an interview with the Independent, the filmmaker argued, “If you’re making a comedy, a musical, no matter what film I’m making, my goal is to treat it with the same respect as if I was making ‘The Godfather.’ ‘Home Alone’ is not ‘The Godfather,’ but you have to treat it with that kind of respect and this idea of remaking things that already exist and are working well? Watch the original! Forget about it. It’s just never going to be as good.” Luckily, for Columbus and for fans of Macaulay Culkin’s adventures, “Stoned Alone” appears to have gotten stuck in development hell.