Emilia Clarke Stars in George Michael Inspired Holiday Rom-Com

Ever wondered what a Christmas-themed romantic comedy inspired by the songs of George Michael might look like? And what if that very same movie was directed by the guy who made Bridesmaids and starred Khaleesi from Game of Thrones as a singing elf? We need no longer wonder, as Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for Last Christmas, which is exactly that.

The movie is headlined by Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and comes from director Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Spy). The romantic comedy was indeed inspired by the songs of the Grammy-winning artist.

The trailer kicks off by setting up Emilia Clarke's character, who is clearly not having the time of her life currently. She then has a chance encounter with Henry Golding and, despite getting some bird poop in her eye at first, the two strike up an unlikely romance. There are quite a few emotional elements thrown into the mix and it looks like this is going to be playing around with some typical rom-com tropes.

Paul Feig most recently directed last year's thriller A Simple Favor, which was critically embraced and was something of a sleeper hit, grossing just shy of $100 million at the box office. While Feig hasn't quite tackled a romcom before, this does seem to be up his alley. The cast also includes Emma Thompson (Late Night) and Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Discovery). Thompson, in addition to her starring role, also co-wrote the screenplay alongside acclaimed playwright Bryony Kimmings.

Last Christmas centers on Kate (Emilia Clarke) who is living a rather grumpy existence in London. She's made quite a few bad decisions accompanied and works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Henry Golding) seems too good to be true when they meet on a chance encounter. He starts to see through Kate's many walls. As London transforms for the holiday season, nothing should work for these two and yet, it does.

Aside from simply being inspired by the songs of George Michael, the movie features some of his actual music, including the holiday classic for which the movie is named. Last Christmas will also premiere brand new unreleased material by the artist. David Livingstone, Emma Thompson, Paul Feig and Jessie Henderson serve as producers.

This is poised to become a potential hit for the holiday season. Not only does the movie boasts a likable ensemble from a proven director, but it's coming out at just the right time. Last Christmas is set to arrive in theaters on November 8 and doesn't have a ton of direct competition for this kind of movie in the lead up to Christmas, meaning it could have long legs at the box office. So, if critics respond kindly, we could be looking at a big winner. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself from the Universal Pictures YouTube channel.

Topics: Last Christmas

Writer of various things on the internet (mostly about movies) since 2013. Major lover of popcorn flicks. Avid appreciator of James Bond, Marvel and Star Wars. Has a tremendously fat cat named Buster and still buys CDs. I’ve got my reasons.

Emilia Clarke Stars in George Michael Inspired Holiday Rom-Com

Ansel Elgort Stars in the Story of A Stolen Life

Warner Bros. Has released the second trailer for the upcoming film The Goldfinch. Directed by award winner John Crowley (Brooklyn), The Goldfinch is based on Donna Tartt's novel by the same name. The book spent 30 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list and went on to win the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Now, Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon Studios aim to bring it to the screen.

Starring Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) as Theo Decker and Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, Big Little Lies), The Goldfinch is a story of hope and tragedy. Theodore "Theo" Decker was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tragedy changes the course of his life, sending him on a stirring odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption, and even love.  Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day...a painting of a tiny bird chained to its perch. The Goldfinch.

Related: The Goldfinch Brings on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Writer

The film carries us seamlessly through Theo's story as a young boy played by Oakes Fegley (Pete's Dragon) as he grapples with his guilt and the horror he witnessed while trying to "get back to a normal routine". But as he says, "its my fault she died," we see the pain that carries him to adulthood. Thriving star Ansel Elgort introduces us to an all grown up Theo still clinging to the painting he found at the disaster site. Theo contemplates his life while meeting an array of people. At one point, he determines that:

"Everything is before and after. In the middle is the painting."

The screenplay comes to us from Oscar nominee Peter Straughan (The Snowman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), so we can expect a lot of dialogue and subtlety. Just like The Goldfinch, both The Snowman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were based on novels.

The trailer brings us the beautiful contrasting colors of warm reds and cool blues from Oscar-winning director of photography Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049). The visuals complimenting the changing tones and time periods are designed Oscar-nominated production designer K.K. Barrett (Her) and Costume designer Kasia Walicka Maimone (Bridge of Spies).

The Goldfinch's star-studded casts consists of Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, IT), Sarah Paulson (The Post, American Crime Story), Luke Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums), and Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games films). As well as Ashleigh Cummings (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Willa Fitzgerald (Little Women), Aimee Laurence (Chicago P.D.), Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story), and Boyd Gaines (2014's Driving Miss Daisy).

The Goldfinch is produced by Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games films, American Crime Story) and Brad Simpson (World War Z,American Crime Story).  Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda, Kevin McCormick, Sue Kroll and Courtenay Valenti served as executive producers. The film is edited by Kelley Dixon (Breaking Bad). The music is by Trevor Gureckis (Bloodline).

The film is expected to release on September 3, 2019 with a R rating for drug use and language. This trailer comes direct from Warner Bros. and Amazon Studios.

Topics: The Goldfinch

Ansel Elgort Stars in the Story of A Stolen Life

Chadwick Boseman Stars in Russo Bros. Cop Killer Thriller

Chadwick Boseman reunited with the Russo Brothers for their upcoming 21 Bridges. The Avengers: Endgame directors are producers on the project while Brian Kirk took over directing duties from a screenplay written by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan. This is a far cry from the world of Black Panther, but Boseman is still a badass as he hunts cop killers in New York City. The Russos debuted the latest trailer for 21 Bridges at their San Diego Comic-Con panel earlier this afternoon.

As we see in the first Comic-Con trailer, 21 Bridges follows an embattled NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman), who is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all 21 Bridges to prevent any entry or exit from the iconic island.

In order to properly prepare for 21 Bridges, Chadwick Boseman went out on patrols with real NYPD officers. This is a common practice for actors when getting ready for a police officer role, but it looks like Boseman went pretty deep into the process. He recently spoke about his preparation process and how it affected him. Boseman had this to say.

"At times it was a lot of fun hanging out with them; at other times it was horrific, some of the things you experience. One of the things they talked about a lot was how the job affects them personally - how the job takes over their entire lives, and I think that's an element of this film that we try to stay true to."

In addition to Chadwick Boseman, 21 Bridges also stars Sienna Miller, Stephan James, Keith David with Taylor Kitsch, and J.K. Simmons. Joe and Anthony Russo also recently talked about the upcoming movie and what viewers can expect when venturing into theaters to check it out. Joe Russo had this to say about 21 Bridges.

"The Winter Soldier is an example of how thrillers were really important to our cinematic upbringing and this one is awesome. I mean, it's intense. The action is fantastic. It's the kind of movie that they're, I feel like they're not really making a lot of anymore. It's a real throwback to a 70's thriller. It's, it feels like a Lumet movie."

21 Bridges hits theaters on September 27th, and if the latest Comic-Con trailer is any indication, it's going to be an intense ride, full of psychological twists and turns. Chadwick Boseman will soon be getting back to Wakanda and the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Black Panther 2 begins shooting. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is expected to make an announcement about the highly anticipated sequel this weekend. While we wait for more news, you can check out the 21 Bridges trailer below, thanks to the STX Entertainment YouTube channel.

Topics: 21 Bridges, Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2019

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Chadwick Boseman Stars in Russo Bros. Cop Killer Thriller