Much like the heroines of Nancy Meyers’ 2006 rom-com, The Holiday, I would like to trade places – not with another woman from across the globe, but with the hopeful version of myself that believed a sequel to this festive classic was coming.
Late Monday night, The Sun claimed that a follow-up to Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet’s home-swapping rom-com was poised to film in 2023. “The plan is to start rolling on scenes next year, primarily in the UK and in Europe, but the main talent are all signed up and on board,” a “source” told the outlet, promising that a Christmas wish nearly 16 years in the making would come true.
Alas, Meyers and Winslet made like Rufus Sewell’s heartless Jasper and broke hearts with just a few words on Tuesday. “So many DM’s about this – sorry, but it’s not true,” the film’s writer-director wrote on Instagram alongside a screenshot of a Daily Mail tweet about the reported sequel, prompting more than 1,500 solemn, even outraged comments in a matter of hours. (The official account of the Academy responded with no fewer than three crying emojis, while Katie Couric offered a broken heart.)
Winslet also squashed rumours in an interview with People. “I read something about that, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it,” she said about a potential follow-up. “I promise you not an agent or a representative or anyone from the first one around has had any conversation with me about that. Hand on heart, that’s never come up.”
THE HOLIDAY, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, 2006.
But The Holiday is so readily primed for a sequel, even if it doesn’t exist yet. The movie centres on two recently jilted women: commitment-phobic movie trailer maker Amanda (Diaz) and writer/expert in unrequited love, Iris (Winslet). Reeling from their respective breakups, they swap homes for the holiday season.
Naturally, their cross-Atlantic pining leads each woman to her ideal romantic partner—Amanda finds love with Iris’s brooding book editor brother, Graham (Jude Law), in England, while Iris makes sweet melodies with affable music composer Miles (Jack Black) in Los Angeles. The four stars share just a single scene together—a largely wordless New Year’s Eve dancing sequence that only stokes the desire for a feature-length continuation.