Bill Murray Stars In Trailer For Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas

This winter, beloved actor and comedian Bill Murray brings an extra-special dose of holiday cheer to Netflix with the premiere of an all-star musically-driven holiday special, A Very Murray Christmas.

Directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Murray co-wrote the special with Coppola and another longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Mitch Glazer (Scrooged, Rock the Kasbah). The assortment of top-notch performers and guest stars includes George Clooney, Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Shaffer, Michael Cera, Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph, Jenny Lewis, Julie White, the band Phoenix, Miley Cyrus, among others.

Check out the teaser below.

Photos: Ali Goldstein/Netflix

“It was sort of something we were just making for ourselves,” Coppola says of the homegrown project, which marks the first time she has worked with Murray since 2003’s Lost in Translation. “It really came out of talking (to Bill and Mitch), and it just seemed fun to get people together that we’re all fans of.”

Set inside New York City’s iconic Carlyle hotel, A Very Murray Christmas opens with Murray preparing to host a live, international holiday broadcast. After a blizzard shuts down the production, he makes the best of the situation by singing and celebrating with friends, hotel employees and anyone else who drops by.

“I like when Bill shows his crooner side,” Coppola says. “I love putting him in a tuxedo, too. … He has a little Dean Martin vibe, I guess.”

Old-school Saturday Night Live fans will be thrilled to see Murray perform alongside Shaffer, who also served as the special’s musical director. It has been nearly 40 years since the pair popularized SNL’s hilarious “Lounge Singer” sketch, but their chemistry remains just as strong.

“Because I’d never done anything musical before, I relied a lot on (Paul’s) help to figure out the best way to accomplish what we were trying to do,” Coppola says. “He brought in all these great musicians, some of them legendary guys that Bill knew from back in the old SNL days. He put the musical numbers together, and he arranged everything. I feel like he can do anything.”

The fact that the special was shot during an actual New York City snowstorm only enhances its cozy holiday vibe.

“There were two blizzards the week we were there,” Glazer says. “Everybody kind of felt like we were living the show: You were trapped in this hotel with people that you loved, singing Christmas songs. It was fantastic.”

In addition, A Very Murray Christmas marks the first time Murray, Coppola and Glazer have worked with Netflix.

“It was a really good experience,” Coppola says. “I think (our special) is sort of weird, and they just kind of let us do what we wanted. For creative people, it’s the best way to work.”

“It was really familial, as a Christmas special should be,” Glazer says. “It was generous and uplifting and creative. And really, at the end of the day, these people came because they were friends of Bill Murray’s, and they wanted to be involved in it. The only agenda was, ‘This is gonna be fun, and we get to be with our friend.’ And that’s really rare.”

“It’s funny: After this, we were like, ‘Let’s do another one!’” Coppola says. “It was really fun just to get back together. … And I’m always happy to find Bill singing.”

A Very Murray Christmas premieres exclusively on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 4.