Lethal Weapon (1987) and Jingle All The Way (1996)

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a dash of the festive spirit as two Christmas-set movies take centre stage.

The first Lethal Weapon movie came together in just a few years, sparked by then-twentysomething Shane Black's script. The project was offered to Leonard Nimoy to look at before Richard Donner signed on the dotted line to direct - and it remains a casting masterclass too.

Jingle All The Way meanwhile came together even quicker, with Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly having a gap in his schedule once a planned Planet Of The Apes movie he was attached to fell apart. Just six months after filming began, the film would be in cinemas - and that didn't help the movie's merchandising plans.

Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstories

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