Entourage creator Doug Ellin has signed on to rewrite the screenplay and possibly direct the Miramax sequel Bad Santa 2.

We reported last July that Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink signed on to direct and rewrite the script, but it seems now he is no longer attached to the sequel. Doug Ellin has already started working on the Bad Santa 2 script, but whether he will direct may depend on when the Entourage movie gets the green light.

Billy Bob Thornton is attached to return as the title character, with production tentatively scheduled to begin sometime in late fall.

The original Bad Santa starred Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox as a mall Santa and his elf who work through the holiday, then rob the place on Christmas Eve. Lauren Graham starred as the bartender who falls for this cantankerous Santa, with Brett Kelly playing the young boy who forms a bond with the criminal.