Love Actually director Richard Curtis is writing a screenplay for an animated feature for streaming platforms to be based on his own series of Christmas children’s books.
The movie adaptation from Locksmith Animation, titled The Empty Stocking, will be based on three books by Curtis — The Empty Stocking, Snow Day and the forthcoming That Christmas — each telling a family story taking place in the run-up to Christmas, in a rural coastal town based on the romantic comedy director’s home.
Curtis is the celebrated British scribe behind such hits as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones’s Diary. He will co-write the adaptation with Peter Souter.
Bonnie Arnold (How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story, Tarzan) will join Locksmith heads Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart to oversee the project. The Empty Stocking will be produced outside of Locksmith’s distribution output deal with Warner Bros. Pictures as the British animation house partners with Curtis and his team, which includes illustrator Rebecca Cobb, executive Colin Hopkins and Souter.
The film marks the first animated feature project for Curtis, who also co-wrote Yesterday, wrote Notting Hill and wrote and directed About Time. “It’s been such a pleasure writing these books — with Rebecca Cobb’s wonderful drawings — that I’m thrilled about the idea of turning them into a film,” said Curtis in a statement.
Locksmith’s first feature, Ron’s Gone Wrong, is currently in production in London and will be released by Walt Disney Studios.
This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter‘s Nov. 7 daily issue at the American Film Market.
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