Neil Patrick Harris Tells a Christmas Story In the ‘8-Bit Christmas’ Trailer
Halloween has come and gone, which means it’s officially the season for Christmas movies, and lots of ’em. Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for 8-Bit Christmas, a holiday flick headed to HBO Max later this month. Directed by Michael Dowse, the film is based on Kevin Jakubowski’s novel of the same name. Jakubowski also penned the script.
Watch the trailer below, which depicts Neil Patrick Harris’ Jake Doyle sharing an epic childhood story with his daughter.
Alongside Harris, 8-Bit Christmas stars Winslow Fegley, June Diane Raphael, Steve Zahn. Per Warner Bros.’ official press release, 8-Bit Christmas is described as “a humorous and heartfelt look back at the adventures of childhood. Set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, the story centers on ten-year-old Jake Doyle’s (Fegley) herculean quest to get the latest and greatest video game system for Christmas.” The mission to secure this ultimate gift is recalled by Harris, now a grown man with a family of his own.
Harris’ narration and the extensive flashbacks instantly bring to mind Bob Clark’s iconic 1983 film A Christmas Story. While that movie reminisced on the late1930s and early 1940s, 8-Bit Christmas is purely nostalgic for the ’80s. And instead of a Red Ryder BB Gun, the kids in this movie are pining after a very different kind of toy — a Nintendo game system. In an age where video games are readily accessible — even Netflix has made them available on mobile devices — it’s kind of fun to think back to a time where Nintendo was the end-all be-all for at-home entertainment.
8-Bit Christmas arrives on HBO Max on November 24.
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