Nineteen weeks before the dawn of Christmas Eve we are hit with the first trailer for self-proclaimed ‘dramatic-romantic-comedy’ Last Christmas. Respectively directed and scripted by power duo Paul Feig and Emma Thompson (who also stars as the protagonist’s mother), the festive film is set to grace Irish cinemas on November 8, 2019.
The film follows luckless popup-shop-elf Kate (Emilia Clarke) as she crosses paths with the saintlike soup-kitchen volunteer Tom (Henry Golding). Golding’s Crazy Rich Asians‘ co-star Michelle Yeoh stars as Kate’s boss.
Set across London, viewers can expect to vicariously visit iconic Yuletide locations such as the Alexandra Palace ice rink and Covent Garden market.
The plot of Last Christmas is loosely based off of Wham!’s sensation, but in an interview with Empire, Feig has clarified that the film is not a musical. Rather, George Michael’s discography holds a prominent place in Kate’s life, often acting as “a soundtrack to her life, and other times being something that she is directly interacting with or performing”.
Thompson began writing Last Christmas‘ script in liaison with George Michael before his untimely death on Christmas Day 2016. At the time, the film included themes of “queer politics” which the LGBT+ activist was interested in, although they don’t seem apparent from the trailer.
last christmas is literally not a typical christmas movie with happy ending we’ll be bawling our eyes out while watching this ? #LastChristmasMovie pic.twitter.com/LXGqwhB3b8
— ♡ (@binjinzo) August 14, 2019
The festive film still plays massive homage to George Michael, and at least one unreleased track from the singer will be featured in the film. Furthermore, Michael has expressed his blessings for the film, in particular, its discussion of homelessness and immigration.
“The great sadness is that he’s not here to be a part of this,” Feig has said. “But he knew it was going to happen, and that gives me such joy. We feel like he’s here with us.”
If you want to set your palate before the grand release, a collection of personal essays under the same name is set to release on October 31, 2019. Featuring contributions from the likes of Meryl Streep, Caitlin Moran, Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman, all proceeds from sales of the book will be split between two charities – Crisis and The Refugee Council.
© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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