Apple has released the full trailer for their upcoming holiday musical Spirited which stars Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer. The movie looks like it’s setting out to put a new twist on a classic holiday tale.
The movie is inspired by the classic Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol which is no stranger to film adaptations, and stars Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present who handpicks a miserable high-ranking corporate executive named Clint Briggs as his latest project. Briggs is played by Reynolds. However, in a neat twist, Briggs is the one to take the Ghost on his own spiritual journey to visit his past, present and future.
Sean Anders directs the film and is credited as co-writer alongside John Morris. Anders is best known for directing Daddy’s Home and its sequel Daddy’s Home 2 which both starred Ferrell. Morris is his regular writing partner, and worked on the above films as well as others such as We’re the Millers, Hot Tub Time Machine and Instant Family.
‘Spirited’: Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything We Know So Far About the Ryan Reynolds-Will Ferrell Christmas Musical
Spirited is Ferrell’s return to holiday films after a nearly twenty-year absence following the incredible success of Elf which became a surprise Christmas classic upon its release in 2003. He later admitted to turning down an eye-watering $29 million offer to star in a sequel and revealed that he would have no interest in revisiting the role for any reason other than the money.
Spirited features ensemble dance numbers that have been choreographed by Chloe Arnold and also includes a tap-dancing sequence which was originally teased in the first teaser for the film. Anders and Morris are producing the film via Two Grown Men while Ferrell is producing with Jessica Elbaum via Gloria Sanchez. Spirited will also feature original songs which have been written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are Tony Award winners for Dear Evan Hansen and Academy Award winners for La La Land.
Spirited premieres in theaters on November 11, and then hits Apple TV+ one week later on November 18. Check out the trailer below.
The official plot synopsis states:
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future. For the first time, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale.
