Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel have a bone to pick with each other in the trailer for Amazon MGM Studios‘ romantic comedy feature Merv.
Director Jessica Swale’s holiday film is set to begin streaming globally via Prime Video on Dec. 10. Chris Redd, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt round out the cast.
Merv centers on Russ (Cox) and Anna (Deschanel), who realize that their breakup has taken its toll on their lovable pooch, Merv. This leads the pair to head to Florida over the holidays in hopes of lifting the dog’s spirits.
“He hates beaches,” Deschanel says about the furry friend when she hears of the planned trip. This leads Cox to reply, “No, you hate beaches.”
Swale helmed the movie from a script by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart. Matthew Baer, Roma Downey, Kerri Hundley and Kai Raka serve as producers.
Merv marks Deschanel’s return to the holiday genre following 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,” the actress recently told People about the film. “It just was such a funny concept.”
Cox told the publication that Merv appealed to him as a change of pace from his other notable roles, such as the MCU’s Daredevil. “Tonally, this movie is unlike anything I’ve done before, so I relied on Zooey and Jess to guide me,” he explained.
The actor added about working with Deschanel: “I really tried to learn as much as I could from her and be as present as possible in the scenes.”
