In a new movie reboot of the beloved classic “A Christmas Carol,” the ghost of famed actor and ableist nonprofit founder Jerry Lewis will play a prominent role. Instead of Jacob Marley appearing as the first ghost to visit Ebenezer Scrooge at the story's beginning, Lewis will pressure Scrooge to confront his greed and donate a sizable amount of his wealth to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“There have been so many adaptations of Charles Dickens's novel in the past, but none have ever fully captured Tiny Tim's status as an MDA poster child,” said executive producer Bart Martin. “We're excited to explore this aspect in our reimagining.”
Throughout the story, classic scenes such as Scrooge visiting the Cratchit house will be interspersed with an ongoing MDA telethon. By the time Scrooge encounters the Ghost of Christmas Future, he will have seen Lewis pose with more than 200 poster children and feel compelled to donate $50,000 on the spot.
This will all culminate in a heartwarming finale in which Scrooge awakens on Christmas Day a changed man, urging everyone in town to forgo buying presents and instead give all their earnings to the MDA.
Scrooge ends the film in a spectacular musical number where he shouts, “We must help the poor children … but only until they turn 18!”