Yes, the sequel is happening, and there's a taster video. This is not a drill. We repeat, this is not a drill.
It was announced last month that a Love Actually sequel would be coming out this year, and we can't contain our excitement.
Ever since Richard Curtis’ Christmas classic graced our screens back in 2003, we have been holding out hope for a sequel.
Is Hugh Grant still the Prime Minister, and if so, has Natalie moved into 10 Downing Street? Did Keira Knightley’s character leave her husband for his sweet friend who confessed his love to her with the handmade signs? And did Jamie (Colin Firth) ever name one of the characters from his ‘crime’ book after Aurelia, or at least give her 5% of the profits?
We have been dying to find out, but with the original film coming out a whopping fourteen years ago – yes we feel old too – we had just about given up hope.
Luckily Richard Curtis has announced the news we have all been waiting for – that a sequel is on the cards and that we don’t even have long to wait.
The sequel will not be in film-form, instead being broadcast on TV as part of a comic relief special for Red Nose Day 2017.
Red Nose Day Actually, yes that really is its name, will be broadcast on 24th March on BBC1, and just to get us excited the BBC has released this very special message.
We officially cannot wait.
Love Actually screen-writer (and Richard Curtis' wife FYI), Emma Freud, has been keeping us excited ever since the news broke, posting behind-the-scenes shots and teasers to Twitter.
Her most recent posts told us everything we wanted to know about David (Hugh Grant) and Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), revealing that the couple are now married and that David is still leading the country. In fact, if the images released on Twitter are anything to go by, he might even be treating us to another inspiring speech. We can't wait!
Emma also posted about some other returning stars last month.
The Red Nose Day reunion promises a full crowd, with those confirmed including Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Colin Firth, Lucia Moniz, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Olivia Olson, Bill Nighy, Marcus Brigstocke and Rowan Atkinson.
Emma Thompson unfortunately isn’t on the list, but with Alan Rickman, playing her onscreen husband, sadly passing away last year, it makes sense not to.
The decision to go ahead with Red Nose Day Actually is hardly surprising, with Richard Curtis being a trustee of Comic Relief and creating several spin-offs in the past from his own TV projects – Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean to name a few.
‘I would never have dreamt of writing a sequel to Love Actually, but I thought it might be fun to do 10 minutes to see what everyone is now up to. Who has aged best? I guess that’s the big question … or is it so obviously Liam?’ Curtis explained.
He continued: ‘We’ve been delighted and grateful that so many of the cast are around and able to take part – and it’ll certainly be a nostalgic moment getting back together and recreating their characters 14 years later.’
