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A film adaptation of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ is in the works – and George Michael gave it his blessing

We wonder what time of year it will be released

A film adaptation of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ is in the works – and George Michael gave it his blessing
Tom Victor
19 July 2018

Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page here – ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham is the greatest Christmas song ever recorded and one of the greatest songs ever, full stop.

Now we’re in agreement, it’s time for us to bring you some very good news.

A script inspired by ‘Last Christmas’, co-written by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings, is on course to be made into a film after being picked up by Universal Pictures.

The concept seems great in its own right, but everything we’re hearing about it sounds promising.


Read more: George Michael’s ‘Fastlove’ is not long enough, so I made a half-hour long version


It has been described by Deadline as “a holiday romance set in London,” and the combination of one of the greatest Christmas songs and one of the stand-out performers from iconic Christmas film Love Actually feels like the perfect match. 

Paul Feig (Ghostbusters, Bridesmaids) is attached as director, and Thompson will co-produce with Pride producer David Livingstone.

Oh, and did we mention George Michael was actually involved early on in the process?

“When I came on board, George was up for it, he’d already signed something to say yes, but he’d passed away,” Kimmings told Radio Times.

Michael, who recorded ‘Last Christmas’ with Wham bandmate Andrew Ridgeley in 1984, died in December 2016.

Thompson’s last writing credit was on 2016’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’

Kimmings revealed she included a trans lead in her original draft of the screenplay, but doesn’t expect that element to remain in the final version.

However, she cited Michael’s own background when expressing her hope for “quite an element of queer” in the finished product.

“George was such a massive advocate for gay rights – and a massive gay himself! – so I hope there’s a gay narrative in there,” she said.

No timeframe has been announced for the production, but we can probably guess what time of year it’ll be released when it does finally come to fruition.