Billy Bob Thornton to star in Bad Santa 2

Billy Bob Thornton is to star in a ‘Bad Santa’ sequel.

The actor has revealed plans for a follow-up to the dark comedy – in which he played alcoholic crook Willie T. Stokes, who works as a mall Santa every December - are well underway and a script has already been written.

Speaking at the Berlin Film Festival - where he is promoting ‘Jane Mansfield's Car’, which he directed – he said: “The writer is still working on the script, he's doing his rewrite right now. We saw the first draft and we just had a few little things we wanted to take away or add and he's doing that."

Thornton also revealed the movie has a Christmas 2013 release date pencilled in.

No director is currently attached to the project.

Meanwhile, Thornton is making a movie based on his failed marriage to Angelina Jolie.

He is to co-write and direct road movie ‘And Then We Drove’ which will have parallels to his union to the screen beauty which ended in June 2002 after two years.