charithra chandran as edwina sharma, bridgerton season 2

Bridgerton and Downton stars in new Christmas filmLIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran and Hugh Bonneville from Downton Abbey will star in a Christmas movie alongside The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar.

Christmas Karma will feature music from Gary Barlow, Shaznay Lewis, and Nitin Sawhney, and will be directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Bend It Like Beckham.

The cast is also set to include Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, Leo Suter and Danny Dyer, as well as singers Pixie Lott and Boy George. Filming is set to begin on April 22.

hugh bonneville pictured smiling, february 2024

Eamonn M. McCormack – Getty Images
Chadha is directing and producing the feature, her first since the 2019 release of Blinded by the Light, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

Speaking about her new film, she said: “Just as I have enjoyed Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life for many years, my aim with Christmas Karma is to create a festive classic for our times and for generations to come.

“By adapting one of history’s greatest novels – Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol – I am making a British Film from my unique, original point of view but one that resonates with Dickens’ masterful statement on the human condition.

“I’m over the moon to be working with Zygi Kamasa, who has supported me on this film from the onset, and True Brit, which truly celebrates British cinema.

“I am blessed with such a great diverse cast and eclectic music team. The soundtrack will be banging, influenced by gospel, bhangra, carols and classic pop songs. You will not be able to sit still!”

kunal nayyar at the spaceman premiere, february 2024

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Plot details are yet to be released, but Nayyar revealed the film will be told “through the eyes of an immigrant story”.

He said: “To explore a beloved holiday tale through the eyes of an immigrant story (much like my own) is exactly the kind of movie that I believe will resonate with so many of us who are searching for the meaning of home. It takes a visionary like Gurinder to take a chance on a story like this, and I am humbled to be a part of it.”

Take That hitmaker Barlow added: “It was an absolute honour to be asked to write music for Christmas Karma. I love Gurinder personally and professionally, and to collaborate with such a diverse and eclectic cast on the soundtrack has been really great fun.”