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'Last Christmas' will feature a new George Michael song and Andrew Ridgeley cameo

Bridesmaids director Paul Feig says a never before heard George Michael song will feature in his new film Last Christmas when it lands in cinemas on 15 November. Watch the brand new trailer featuring Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson and Michelle Yeoh above.

The new song is “amazing” Feig tells Yahoo, and will run in its entirety at the very end of the film. He says the six-minute song was recorded by the Wham singer while he was working on an album of new material before his death on Christmas Day, 2016.

“There's one song [in the film] that has never been heard before that [George Michael] was working on,” Feig tells Yahoo Movies UK.

The filmmaker says he felt the weight of responsibility of sharing the new music with fans when the singer’s estate offered him the chance to include in the festive film that was inspired by the music of George Michael and Wham!.

“It [was] finished right before he passed, because he was putting together a new album. And it's an amazing song, but the responsibility of that was like, ‘okay, am I gonna play 10 seconds of a song nobody's ever heard before, or we're going to really showcase it?’

Kate (Emilia Clarke) in the romantic comedy Last Christmas, directed by Paul Feig.
Kate (Emilia Clarke) in the romantic comedy Last Christmas, directed by Paul Feig.

“And so I figured out ‘Okay, we have this last scene, we put it over this last scene and then let it play through the ending credits. So you guys should get to hear the entire amazing six minute song. It's a really, really good song.”

The rom-com will feature 15 George Michael songs, including the one the film is named after, and this brand new, as-yet-untitled, track. The film’s new poster also name checks Wham!, and Feig teases that George Michael’s bandmate Andrew Ridgeley “may pop up in the movie briefly.”

Singers George Michael (left) and Andrew Ridgeley of pop duo Wham!, at the premiere of the film 'Dune', London, England, 1984. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Singers George Michael (left) and Andrew Ridgeley of pop duo Wham!, at the premiere of the film 'Dune', London, England, 1984. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Wham! split in 1986 and Ridgeley has largely shunned the limelight ever since. A reunion was mooted in 2005 for Live 8, but was reportedly canned at the last minute.

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Written by Emma Thompson (who also stars as Kate’s batty mother) and Bryony Kimmings, Last Christmas has been in development for eight years, with the late singer insisting that the film addresses the issue of homelessness, a cause very dear the the singer’s heart.

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2012 file photo, British singer George Michael in concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction, in Paris, France. George Michael's spokeswoman says the singer is "resting" after receiving hospital treatment for an undisclosed ailment. The Grammy Awards announced Wednesday Feb. 8, 2017, that Sunday's show will include tribute performances in honor of Prince and George Michael. Both stars died last year. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
British singer George Michael in concert to raise money for AIDS charity Sidaction, in Paris, France, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

However don’t expect something akin to Rocketman or Bohemian Rhapsody warns the film’s director.

“It's not a jukebox movie, but it's not a musical either,” Feig explains. “It's like ‘a soundtrack to your life’ movie.”

Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke leads the film as Kate, an aspiring singer who finds herself stuck in a rut following a brush with death, working in a Christmas shop in the heart of Covent Garden, run by Michelle Yeoh’s curiously named character Santa.

Last Christmas main UK poster (Universal)
Last Christmas main UK poster (Universal)

Stay tuned to Yahoo Movies UK for more on Last Christmas, and our exclusive interview with the film’s director Paul Feig.

Last Christmas is in UK cinemas 15 November, 2019.