Columbus opened up about what would have been for the very first time in a recent Vanity Fair profile. At the time, the 66-year-old was at a low point in his career, when screenwriter John Hughes, who had the same agent, sent him the script for the holiday comedy.

From Home Alone to Harry Potter and Gremlins to The Goonies, Chris Columbus has a laundry list of major film credits as a director, writer or producer. Christmas Vacation could have been part of his bio as well.