You know that wish you've been making every single day since you were a kid? Well, it just came true: everyone's favorite romantic comedy is returning with a short film set after the events of the movie. So actors will return for the Love Actually sequel? Whether because it's for a good cause, or they loved the original as much as we did, or some combination, an impressive number of original cast members will be making their return for the short film, which will be written by Richard Curtis, the same man behind the 2003 classic. The project will be called Red Nose Day Actually, in honor of Red Nose Day, an annual fundraising event created by the non-profit Comedy Relief, Inc. to benefit children living in poverty worldwide. And it will air on BBC One on Mar. 24, and NBC's Red Nose Day Special on May 25.
But now for the juicy stuff — who can we expect back? In a star-studded cast of this size, it would be virtually impossible to get everyone back together, but the short film will be revisiting some of its most beloved characters to see where they are now, in 2017. Take a look.
Hugh Grant And Martine McCutcheon
When last we saw Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon's characters, the Prime Minister and Natalie were swapping spit onstage. So did they make it through the holidays? And what happened at the next election? We'll soon find out.
Keira Knightley And Andrew Lincoln
Um, nothing awkward about your husband's best friend coming to your door to profess his undying love for you and asking you to keep it a secret from your husband, right? Here's hoping that Andrew Lincoln's character Mark has pumped the brakes on his infatuation with Keira Knightley's Juliet by the time the sequel rolls around. (Although I really wish Chiwetel Ejiofor was returning as well, so we could get Peter's take on all this.)
Colin Firth And Lúcia Moniz
Was a marriage proposal couched in a few sentences of shoddy Portuguese enough to keep Colin Firth's writer character Jamie Bennett and Lúcia Moniz's housekeeper character Aurelia together? Only time will tell.
Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson's character Daniel spent the original Love Actually mourning his late wife, only to meet his dream woman Carol, played by Claudia Schiffer, at the end. So where does Daniel find himself these days? Schiffer isn't listed as one of the returning actors, so has he found someone else, or is he still looking?
Thomas Brodie-Sangster And Olivia Olson
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played Liam Neeson's son Sam seems to have had slightly better luck, as his love interest Joanna, played by Olivia Olson, is one of the names on the returning cast list. Should we expect a passionate jam session, with Sam on the drums and Joanna singing lead vocals, or did things ever even happen between them beyond that airport cheek kiss?
Bill Nighy
Thank god that aging musician Billy Mack is still at it, hopefully as wonderfully bizarre as ever. What can he do this time around to one-up getting naked on live television?
Rowan Atkinson
He may not have had a romantic relationship to revisit, but, in my eyes, Rowan Atkinson was a crucial part of the original film as Rufus, that infuriatingly slow store clerk.
Marcus Brigstocke
And, finally, there's Marcus Brigstocke, who played Mikey, the DJ who makes the bet with Bill Nighy's character in the original. He didn't leave a super strong impression on me the first time around, so I'm interested to see what Curtis has planned for his return.
Not a bad crew, huh? Sure, I wouldn't have minded a reunion with Rodrigo Santoro's abs, or catching up with my favorite couple of the movie, porn stand-ins John and Judy, played by Martin Freeman and Joanna Page. And I'm still not ready to talk about the tragic loss of Alan Rickman in 2016. But the fact that there's a sequel at all is truly more than I could have asked for, so I'm grateful.
