Love Actually 2: Five plotlines that could happen
The beloved rom-com is back with a short sequel for Red Nose Day, but will it end happily ever after?
Rom-com Love Actually returns with a special sequel as part of this Friday's Red Nose Day telethon, prompting fans and critics to wonder what's in store for the love-struck characters.
Richard Curtis's original 2003 film followed multiple interwoven stories of love found, lost and unrequited and featured a star-studded ensemble cast, including Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson – many of who are back.
The new film will only be 12 minutes long and while the plot has been kept tightly under wraps, a BBC trailer and a few clues by cast members hint at what might happen.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"109939","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Here are five potential storylines viewers might get to see.
Sam and Joanna reunite
Thomas Brodie-Sangster's pre-teen Sam was last seen dashing through airport security to catch Olivia Olson's Joanna before she headed back to the US.The two appear to still be in some sort of contact 14 years later, because they appear in the sequel, but it's unclear if they are boyfriend and girlfriend or how often they've seen each other over the years.
Mark finally gets over Juliet. Or doesn't
In Love Actually, Knightley's Juliet married Peter (Ejiofor), to the disappointment of Peter's best friend Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who announced his love with a series of flash cards.Thirteen years on and he has apparently still not given up on Juliet, as the BBC trailer reveals him holding up more cards.But maybe the sequel will involve him finding true love somewhere else. Or as Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian suggests, does Mark finally admit he was really in love with Peter all along?
Billy Mack has one last hit
Bill Nighy's ageing pop star Billy Mack is back, along with his garish glam-rock wardrobe. The singer had a Christmas hit following the last film, but his washed-up rocker character seems in need of another success.Can the vain, self-obsessed Mack finally find some depth and true feeling under his rock-star persona and maybe even a love interest to inspire one last tune that he will be remembered for?
The PM and the First Lady have an announcement
Hugh Grant's prime minister David is still in power, somewhat improbably given the sequel is based more than a decade after the original.Nevertheless, a series of tweets from the set by Curtis's wife Emma Freud show his former PA Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) saying: "Our PM is still married. And she's still lovely."
Another photo shows Grant making an announcement from a podium.
So is he announcing his retirement to run off into the sunset with Natalie and enjoy easyJet holidays around Europe?Or has he become yet another politician to fall from grace?
Aurelia finds her own literary voice and Jamie joins UKIP
When we last saw them, Portugal's Aurelia (Lucia Moniz) and British novelist Jamie (Colin Firth) had fallen head over heels for each other, despite only having a rudimentary knowledge of each other's languages.Perhaps the latest instalment will see them both fluently bilingual, with Aurelia translating Jamie's novels for a whole new audience.Or has she found her literary voice and become a successful novelist in her own right?Or, as Rebecca Hawkes in the Daily Telegraph jokingly speculates, now Aurelia can read English, will she discover Jamie's novels are actually "really dreadful" and fall out of love with him - prompting Jamie, disillusioned with all things European, to return to England and join UKIP.Love Actually 2 premieres on BBC1 during Red Nose Day on Friday 24 March, starting 7pm.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The best new music of 2024 by genre
The Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
By The Week UK Published
-
Nine best TV shows of 2024 to binge this Christmas
The Week Recommends From Baby Reindeer and Slow Horses to Rivals and Shogun, here are the critics' favourites
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
How to do F1: British Grand Prix 2025
The Week Recommends One of the biggest events of the motorsports calendar is back and better than ever
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published