The gang is getting back together.  When screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein first started talking about their new Vacation film—which stars Ed Helms as a grown Rusty Griswold—the duo made no secret of the fact that they hoped to rope in some of the original castmembers for the pic.  Earlier this month the duo told me that they planned on bringing people back, and now it appears that they're nearing a deal as Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo are officially in negotiations to reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold in Vacation.  Hit the jump for more.

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Per Variety, Chase and D’Angelo are expected to appear in more of a cameo capacity rather than as supporting castmembers, but New Line was very keen on bringing the two back into the fold.  There was concern over whether Chase and D’Angelo would sign on, so producers “redoubled their efforts” to convince the original castmembers to return.

Daley and Goldstein are making their directorial debut with the film, which centers on Helms’ Rusty coordinating a road trip to Wally World with his own family.  Christina Applegate recently entered talks to play Helms’ wife, and the pic is said to be more in the vein of the original Vacation rather than the subsequent sequels.  Daley and Goldstein have shown a knack for twisted humor with Horrible Bosses and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, so I’m interested to see their take on the Vacation franchise.  Nabbing Helms and Applegate as the leads was most definitely a step in the right direction.  Production begins this summer in New Mexico and Atlanta.

Watch the trailers for the previous Vacation films below.

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