One of two surviving cast members from 1978 British classic directs Thailand’s first musical in 50 years
LONDON, UK. November 25th, 2025 – As The Wild Geese returns to UK cinemas this month in 4K restoration, one of only two surviving principal cast members from the 1978 film has directed Thailand’s first musical in 50 years. Paul Spurrier, who played Richard Harris’s son Emile in the action classic, will release The Christmas Dream on December 18th in Thai cinemas and internationally on Amazon Prime.
The film is Thailand’s first musical production in 50 years and Southeast Asia’s first-ever Christmas film. The production has won First Prize at the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival and Best Musical at the New York Long Island Film Festival.
The Wild Geese, starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, and Richard Harris, has returned to UK cinemas this month in 4K restoration. Of the original principal cast, only two actors remain alive. Spurrier, who appeared alongside these cinema legends, has spent over twenty years in Thailand directing Thai-language films. His previous work includes The Forest, which became the first Thai film acquired exclusively worldwide by Netflix.
The Christmas Dream features 18 original songs performed by Thailand’s Siam Sinfonietta Youth Orchestra. The cast includes Gam Wichayanee, the Thai voice of Disney’s Elsa who performed at the 92nd Academy Awards, and Vithaya “Pu” Pansringarm, the only Thai actor to walk the Cannes red carpet twice and star of the Chinese box office hit Operation Mekong. Child star Amata “Manao” Masmalai leads the cast.
The film has received recognition at international festivals including the Beijing International Children’s Film Festival and Italy’s Amicorti Festival. At the Bangkok International Film Festival, The Christmas Dream won the Thai Panorama Award, defeating the Cannes prize-winning film A Useful Ghost.
The production was shot across nine Thai provinces. British film critics have awarded the film four stars, with Film Focus Online describing it as “a must-watch for musical lovers everywhere.”
“In doing this, we gave Thai performers what The King and I never did: the chance to tell a story set in Thailand, performed by Thai artists, for Thai audiences and the world,” Spurrier said.
The film’s music was composed and arranged by Mickey Wongsathapornpat, a Cambridge University graduate with first-class honours in music composition. Producer David Allen Cluck’s previous credits include the Oscar-winning The Artist (2011) and Monster (2003).
The Christmas Dream opens theatrically in Thailand on December 18th, 2025, with simultaneous international release on Amazon Prime. The film carries a G-rating and runs 140 minutes.
ENDS