{"id":40924,"date":"2023-12-01T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T09:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1933741"},"modified":"2023-12-01T13:23:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T12:23:08","slug":"richard-curtis-says-genie-appealed-to-his-constant-love-of-christmas-movies","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/richard-curtis-says-genie-appealed-to-his-constant-love-of-christmas-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Curtis says Genie appealed to his \u2018constant love of Christmas movies\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The prolific screenwriter has adapted his own 1991 TV movie into a new film for Sky Cinema and NOW. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 01 December 2023 at 09:00 AM<\/p>

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Richard Curtis is no stranger to Christmas movies \u2013 what with Love Actually being one of the most enduring festive favourites of the last 20 years \u2013 and this year, he\u2019s back with another Yuletide yarn.<\/p>\n

His latest film Genie stars Paapa Essiedu and Melissa McCarthy and is actually adapted from his own 1991 TV movie Bernard and the Genie, with the action updated to modern-day New York and a couple of other changes made along the way.<\/p>\n

And, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a>, Curtis revealed that it was his \u201cconstant love of Christmas movies\u201d that encouraged him to update his previous film.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>You know [I] love a joyful Christmas movie,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I had an idea of how I could make the old film \u2013 which was about sort of being a lonely singleton \u2013 into a film about family and kids and all those things that I\u2019m increasingly worrying about.\u201d<\/p>

He added: \u201cSo it was a work that appealed to my constant love of Christmas movies and what I\u2019m thinking about a lot now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the new version changed \u201cpretty well everything\u201d from his previous film, not just the change of location. He also gave lead character Bernard a family and, this time around, the genie is a woman \u2013 with McCarthy playing the role that was originated by Lenny Henry.<\/p>\n

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