Summary
- Melissa McCarthy stars in the upcoming Christmas film, Genie, which has a mix of Aladin-meets-Elf vibes in its first trailer.
- Writer Richard Curtis insists that he didn’t deliberately try to pay homage to the classic film Elf.
- Curtis worked closely with Melissa McCarthy, who plays the titular role, to shape the character and even gave her creative input on the script.
Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu “ain’t never had a friend” like Melissa McCarthy… until now. Director Sam Boyd’s upcoming Christmas film Genie certainly has its fair share of Aladin-meets-Elf vibes in the comedy’s first trailer, but writer Richard Curtis insists that he wasn’t deliberately trying to pay homage to the classics, particularly Will Ferrell’s misadventures as Buddy the Elf. Curtis said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
I tried not to think about it or watch it [Elf]. The official answer is, definitely no. But who knows how much it’s wormed its way into my brain.
Check out the official trailer for Genie below:
While Curtis certainly knows his way around penning a heartwarming Christmas tale, as he wrote and directed Love Actually, the filmmaker has made a career out of breathing life into one memorable script after another. His lengthy resume includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About Time and so many more. In addition to McCarthy and Essiedu, Marc Maron is featured in Genie’s cast, and John C. Guild portrays the world’s most famous toy man, Santa Claus.
Genie Drops on Peacock This Thanksgiving
Bernard Bottle (Essiedu) doesn’t find himself being visited by three ghosts a la A Christmas Carol, but his luck changes for the better when he releases the unlimited-wish-granting Genie (McCarthy) from a dusty jewelry box. Before the actress exploded into the A-list icon she is today, an entire generation undoubtedly grew up with McCarthy playing Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls.
Today, McCarthy’s heartwarming blend of comedy and charisma has helped the actress become one of Hollywood’s top talents. But believe it or not, Genie’s screenwriter Richard Curtis didn’t write the film’s titular role with McCarthy in mind. Curtis said in the same interview with EW:
“I wrote it, and then we cast Melissa. And then I paid a lot of attention to it being Melissa and also worked with Melissa on the script. We went through every scene and said, ‘What might you do here? What could you say here?’ Some of my favorite lines in the movie are now written by Mrs. Melissa McCarthy rather than by me, which means I like them even more. The truth is it was a written character and then in production and particularly pre-production, we bent it toward Melissa a lot.”
Genie drops Wednesday, November 22 exclusively on Peacock and just in time for Thanksgiving.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
