Richard Curtis: Last News

Blackadder will be returning for a Comic Relief special this year – although lead star Rowan Atkinson will not be involved.Curtis, who created the iconic sitcom alongside Atkinson in the 1980s, shared the news during an appearance on BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show this morning (February 14).Admitting that he was “nervous” to make the announcement, the writer confirmed that new sketch will see Tony Robinson reprise his role as Baldrick.“For the first time in 20 years, Baldrick is going to be giving some kind of performance,” he said. “We’re just conspiring about it now, so I think there’s going to be a marvellous, turnip-based thing with Tony Robinson now back in action, so I’m excited about that.”Asked if Atkinson would also feature in the special, Curtis replied: “No,Rowan’s far too serious to do any of that!”Last year, Ben Elton, who wrote Blackadders seasons two, three and four, ruled out the possibility of a fully-fledged return, telling Radio Times magazine that he didn’t have an “appetite” to create further seasons of the sitcom.“We were a great team and I’ve talked so many times about doing something else.

Blackadder is set to return to our screens after a 20-year hiatus Richard Curtis has confirmed.

EXCLUSIVE: Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) is set to star opposite Melissa McCarthy in the untitled New York Christmas movie from Universal and Working Title that we were first to report on.

EXCLUSIVE: The talent agency scene in the UK has been the talk of the town since UTA snapped up Curtis Brown Group last year.

Melissa McCarthy has signed on to star in a Christmas comedy film written by Love Actually's screenwriter Richard Curtis.According to Deadline, the Bridesmaids star, 52 – who will soon be seen as Ursula in the highly anticipated live-action remake of The Little Mermaid – will headline a 'Christmas-in-New York' movie penned by Curtis, 66.The upcoming project remains untitled, but the central storyline will revolve around 'a workaholic man who enlists the help of a magical genie to help win his family back before Christmas.' Merry Christmas: Melissa McCarthy, 52, has signed on to star in a Christmas comedy film written by Love Actually's screenwriter Richard Curtis.McCarthy is rumored to be playing the film's genie, putting an interesting spin on the fantasy archetype. The Oscar-nominated actress recently wrapped Jerry Seinfeld's star-studded Pop-Tarts origin story called Unfrosted. Coupled together, McCarthy's recent spat of film projects could be seen as a decisive career shift. Over the past decade, the prolific entertainer has fronted a string of projects made in partnership with her filmmaker husband Ben Falcone, 49.These joint efforts have not been well-received by critics, with their most recent venture, the Netflix comedy series God's Favorite Idiot, earning less-than-stellar reviews.  Lady of the lamp: The upcoming project remains untitled, but the central storyline will revolve around 'a workaholic man who enlists the help of a magical genie to help win his family back before Christmas.' McCarthy is rumored to be playing the film's genie  Not this time: Over the past decade, the prolific entertainer has fronted a string of projects made in partnership with her filmmaker husband Ben Falcone, 49.

EXCLUSIVE: Usually content to let their logo on the front end of films speak for them, Working Title partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner spoke to Deadline in a prolific moment and a series of anniversaries that go beyond the 20th for their holiday classic Love Actually. They reached 30 years together at a company that turns 40 next year. The duo scored a big hit in the George Clooney-Julia Roberts romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, and have Matilda the Musical playing in UK theaters, and opening on Netflix elsewhere for Christmas, with the Lena Dunham-directed Catherine Called Birdy released by Amazon and The Swimmers by Netflix. After playing the Toronto and Zurich festivals, it has ranked near the top of Netflix’s most watched films globally since its release.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal and Working Title have set Melissa McCarthy to star in an untitled Christmas-in-New York movie that will be written by Love Actually scribe Richard Curtis and directed by Sam Boyd.

, the cast and crew of the beloved holiday romantic comedy revealed that the late Alan Rickman was enraged by his scene with Rowan Atkinson. Love Actually director Richard Curtis revisited the iconic scene that finds Rickman’s Harry sneaking away from , at the mall to purchase a gold necklace for Mia (Heike Makatsch), an attractive younger woman who works at his office. While at the register, he has to deal with Atkinson’s eccentric clerk, Rufus, who promises to have Harry’s gift wrapped “in the flashiest of flashes,” but takes a comically long time adding unnecessary flourishes like a gold ribbon, flower buds, lavender, a cinnamon stick, and a sprig of holly. This content can also be viewed on the site it from.While the scene is a comedic showcase for Atkinson, Rickman apparently didn’t find it all that funny at the time.

Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant shared their rough first impressions of Love Actually during a 20th anniversary special on Tuesday celebrating the 2003 film.The 63-year-old British actress during the ABC special The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later hosted by Diane Sawyer, 76, was asked if she remembered what she thought when she saw the romantic comedy directed by Richard Curtis, 66, for the first time.'I do. I just sat there watching, thinking, 'God, this is, uh, it's quite kind of out there, isn't it?' And then Hugh came up behind me as we were walking out of the theater and says, 'Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that the most psychotic thing we've ever been in?',' Thompson said laughing at the memory.

ABC aired its Diane Sawyer special The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later on Tuesday, which featured an impromptu interruption by the police.Sawyer, 76, traveled to filming locations of the 2003 rom-com Love Actually in Brooklyn and London, to chat with the cast and writer-director Richard Curtis.During one of her stops in London, she chatted with Thomas Brodie-Sangster, 32, when their interview was cut short with an 'abrupt' visit by the police. Interruption: ABC aired its Diane Sawyer special The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later on Tuesday, which featured an impromptu interruption by the police Abrupt: During one of her stops in London, she chatted with Thomas Brodie-Sangster, 32, when their interview was cut short with an 'abrupt' visit by the policeSawyer and Brodie-Sangster were sitting on the same London bench where he filmed an iconic scene with his on-screen stepfather Daniel (Liam Neeson).During their chat, a crew member approaches and tells them they have to leave because they, 'don't have the proper permit and they're going to arrest us.' Brodie-Sangster called the interruption, 'abrupt,' while Sawyer responded with a joke.

despises his iconic dancing sequence in . So much, in fact, that he recently it “the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid.”The quote comes from Grant's appearance in ABC’s freshly released Love Actually retrospective, The Laughter & Secrets of ‘Love Actually’: 20 Years Later. In the 2003 , Grant played a British Prime Minister who falls for one of his staff members.

One of the most remembered scenes from Love Actually is Hugh Grant’s dance scene. Although many remember this sequence with nostalgia, Grant recently recalled it was quite “excruciating” for him.

Ed Sheeran has said he’d already “started writing” the theme song for No Time To Die when he was replaced by Billie Eilish.Back in 2019, Sheeran’s manager revealed that the star had met James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli two years prior to discuss penning the official track for the most recent film in the hit spy franchise.Danny Boyle, who worked with Sheeran on Richard Curtis’ Yesterday (2019), was lined up to direct the 25th Bond movie at the time (he later quit due to “creative differences”, with Cary Joji Fukunaga taking over the role).“Obviously they changed directors but we’re still open to it,” Stuart Camp explained. “But they’re not even having those conversations yet.”He added: “It’s certainly something [Sheeran would] want to do though, it’s a box that’s still to be ticked, for sure.”But the No Time To Die theme ended up going to Billie Eilish, who went on to win her first Oscar for the song.During an appearance on That Peter Crouch Podcast this week, Sheeran explained: “I was within a fucking gnat’s pube of doing one [a Bond theme], but then they changed directors, changed scripts and that was it all done.“I had started writing it.

Rylan Clark has completely delighted Strictly Come Dancing viewers with his ‘perfect’ impersonation of Keira Knightly in Love Actually. Before Richie Anderson was eliminated after facing Fleur East in the dreaded dance off, the It Takes Two presenter appeared in a skit alongside his co-host Janette Manrara to promote the BBC Two spin-off show. The duo recreated the well-known cards on the doorstep scene from the 2003 Richard Curtis romcom, made famous by Keira’s Juliet and Andrew Lincoln’s Mark.

Olivia Colman, Luke Evans and Jessie Buckley are to lead Netflix’s animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol from Stephen Donnelly (Lost in Oz).

The partner of famed British screenwriter Richard Curtis has shared shocking photos of their home being ravaged by a house fire.The 18th century property in Walberswick, Suffolk, is the home of the Love Actually director and partner, broadcaster Emma Freud, and caught fire on Sunday, July 10.The fire took hold of the ground and first floor of the property, as well as the attic, with 14 fire crews needed to tackle the blaze, now revealed to be 60 firefighters in total working for eight hours. At one point, firefighters had to rip the tiles off a section of the roof to dampen down hotspots which would stop the fire spreading further through the house.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentPart of what it describes as a bold and rapid expansion of its long-form animation department, London-based Oscar winning Passion Pictures has appointed Nicki Cortese as head of development for animated features and series.Cortese joins Pixar veteran David Park, a production manager on “Coco” and animation department manager on “Toy Story 3,” who was himself hired as Passion head of production for long-form animation in 2021, as well as executive producer Debbie Crosscup.Joining Passion ahead of Annecy, Cortese served as head of development for Elisabeth Murdoch’s Locksmith Animation, where she worked on Disney’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” as well as the just-announced Netflix feature “That Christmas,” based on children’s books by “Four Weddings and a Funeral’s ”Richard Curtis. Cortese had a first-look deal with Brian Robbins’ studio, Awesomeness Films, and, prior to that, oversaw the “Divergent”franchise at Red Wagon.

K.J. Yossman In the run up to Annecy festival, Netflix has unveiled a powerful slate of talent-driven animated films and series, including “That Christmas” based on BAFTA winner Richard Curtis’s children’s books, and “Ember,” Sergio Pablos’ follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Klaus.” Netflix’s roster of animated features also boasts the musical “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” which features songs by Leslie Bricusse; an untitled animated film by Steve Box, the Oscar-winning “Wallace & Gromit” alumni.

An animated Christmas Carol, follow-up to Academy Award-nominee Klaus, adaptation of Richard Curtis’ That Christmas and untitled project from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit’s Steve Box feature on an eight-strong slate of Netflix animated films and TV series.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran BBC producer Esther Springer has left after two decades to join fledgling creative indie Creators Inc.’s TV and film division.

Fox is developing Felonious Monk, a one-hour drama based on William Kotzwinkle’s novel, from writer Michael Brandon Guercio (Treadstone) and Fox Entertainment.