'Four Weddings and a Funeral' TV series plots huge twist for Hugh Grant's character

Classic rom-com Four Weddings and a Funeral is heading to the small screen, and with a pretty major twist up its sleeve.

Hugh Grant’s character, the posh, blinky singleton Charles, will instead be played by a woman – notably US comedian Jessica Williams, who’ll play protagonist Jess.

Airing as a series on US streaming service Hulu, and per The Hollywood Reporter, Jess is a ‘young communications director’ working in politics who heads to London from New York for the wedding of an old college friend.

According to THR: “She leaves her professional and personal life behind in favor of traveling to England and reconnecting with old friends, and ends up in the midst of their personal crises. Relationships are forged and broken, political scandals exposed, London social life lampooned, love affairs ignited and doused and, of course, there are four weddings… and a funeral.”

Williams, who made her name on The Daily Show in the US, the podcast 2 Dope Queens, and recently featured in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is joined by Rebecca Rittenhouse, from Hulu show The Mindy Project, who plays Ainsley, the Dallas socialite who is getting married.

Meanwhile, Nikesh Patel will play Kash, a struggling actor who is married to Ainsley, while John Reynolds plays Duffy, an American teaching in a posh British boarding school who has still has a crush on Jess.

Writer, actress and comedian Mindy Kaling, known for playing Kelly in the US version of The Office, is producing the show.

The original movie was released in 1994, with Hugh Grant opposite Andie MacDowell’s Carrie, directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis.

It was was huge hit around the world, turning Grant into a household name, and spawning a host of rom-coms from Curtis.

The series will arrive on Hulu next year.

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