A Christmas Carol, a retelling of the Charles Dickens Christmas tale, will be coming to cinemas and selected theatres from 20 November.
Simon Russell Beale is the voice of Scrooge, while the part will be danced by former Royal Ballet soloist and BalletBoyz founder Michael Nunn and Jakub Franasowicz. Andy Serkis will voice Marley’s Ghost, danced by Russell Maliphant, while Martin Freeman is the voice of Bob Cratchit, danced by Karl Fagerlund Brekke. Daniel Kaluuya is The Ghost of Christmas Present danced by Mikey Boats, Carey Mulligan is Belle danced by Grace Jabbari, Lesley Caron is The Ghost of Christmas Past danced by Dana Fouras and Sian Philips is the Narrator.
This retelling follows a Victorian family as they prepare a toy theatre for their annual performance of A Christmas Carol. The cardboard stage transforms to reveal a magical world containing real dancers and stylised sets. It is directed by sibling directors Jacqui Morris and David Morris, who also directed the film Nureyev about one of the world’s most famous ballet dancers.
Morris said, "my career started with working backstage in the theatre. Theatre continues to inspire and influence my work as a filmmaker today and I have been devastated by the current situation theatres face. Our version of A Christmas Carol offers an immersive, theatre-like experience for families both in cinema and theatres, will delight to those missing out on live dance and pantomime this festive season. I am thrilled to offer theatres a chance to screen the film to help raise funds and keep doors ajar until patrons can return in full capacity.”
Choreography is by Russell Maliphant, design by Darko Petrovic and the score by Alex Baranowski.