A Love Actually sequel is happening! Well, sorta. Writer/director Richard Curtis and almost the entire main cast of this modern Christmas classic are coming together again to make a sequel short film, Red Nose Day Actually, to air during Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Special—a charity event that helps to raise money and awareness for children living in poverty in America and around the world. So, who’s back? You might be surprised: Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Andrew Lincoln, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Martine McCutcheon, Lucia Moniz, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Olivia Olson, and Marcus Brigstocke are all reprising their characters in this sequel short film.

That’s actually a formidable chunk of the Love Actually cast, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emma Thompson being the biggest omissions. Tragically, Alan Rickman is no longer with us, so perhaps Curtis and/or Thompson felt that storyline was best left untouched. Although with Ejiofor not back, one wonders if the totally inappropriate sign message from Lincoln's character paid off.

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Image via Universal Pictures

Curtis—who most recently wrote and directed the terrific About Time—explained his desire to do a Love Actually sequel in this format:

“Over the years I’ve enjoyed doing Red Nose Day specials of TV things I’ve worked on – Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean. It seemed like a fun idea this year to do a special sketch based one of my films, since Red Nose Day is now in both the UK and America. I would never have dreamt of writing a sequel to Love Actually, but I thought it might be fun to do 10 minutes to see what everyone is now up to.  Who has aged best? - I guess that’s the big question… or is it so obviously Liam?   We’ve been delighted and grateful that so many of the cast are around and able to take part - and it’ll certainly be a nostalgic moment getting back together and recreating their characters 14 years later. We hope to make something that’ll be fun - very much in the spirit of the original film and of Red Nose Day - and which we hope will help bring lots of viewers and cash to the Red Nose Day shows.”

The short film sequel Red Nose Day Actually will air as part of the Red Nose Day Special on May 25th on NBC, and also as part of Red Nose Day in the U.K. on March 24th on BBC1—which means it’ll probably hit the internet around that time.

As an unabashed fan of Curtis’ work and Love Actually in particular I find this news mighty exciting, and it’ll be fun to see what these characters are up to (and how Lincoln’s Walking Dead beard factors in). And for a great cause no less! For more on Red Nose Day visit rednoseday.org.

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Image via Universal Pictures