Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel star as exes forced to reunite for the sake of their beloved dog in Merv, Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming romantic comedy directed by Jessica Swale.
The holiday movie begins streaming globally on Prime Video on 10 December.
Merv follows Russ (Cox) and Anna (Deschanel), whose breakup leaves their dog, Merv, heartbroken. In a bid to cheer him up, the two embark on a holiday trip to Florida. “He hates beaches,” Deschanel says in the trailer, to which Cox fires back, “No, you hate beaches.”
The film is written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, with Matthew Baer, Roma Downey, Kerri Hundley and Kai Raka producing. Chris Redd, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt also feature in the ensemble cast.
Merv marks Deschanel’s return to the holiday genre two decades after her breakout role opposite Will Ferrell in the 2003 Christmas classic Elf.
“I loved the story of a couple breaking up but sharing a dog — and then having to reunite to cure their dog’s melancholy,” Deschanel told People. “It just was such a funny concept.”
Cox said he was drawn to the film for its tonal shift from his action-heavy projects such as Marvel’s Daredevil.
“Tonally, this movie is unlike anything I’ve done before, so I relied on Zooey and Jess to guide me,” he told the US magazine, adding, “I really tried to learn as much as I could from her and be as present as possible in the scenes.”