No, this is not going to be an attempt to make a film out of the classic Shane McGowan/Kirsty MacColl tune Fairytale of New York, at least not completely. But new indie romantic comedy Fairytale of New York is looking to hook up a troubled Irish type with a woman, and has snagged Kiefer Sutherland and Kate Bosworth to be the odd couple.

We’re not sure we see the combo of Sutherland and Bosworth, but writer Jeff Murphy and director Lee Cleary obviously do. Cleary is gearing the movie up now, for a shoot that will take in Northern Ireland and New York.

Sutherland’s playing a cynical yet charming Irish stand-up who travels to the Big Apple and makes a connection with an intriguing American woman (Bosworth). Cue, we assume, Sutherland spending the next few months with a dialect coach.

“Fairytale of New York lets us observe what most of us hope for in a relationship and then takes us further," producer Lisa Katselas tells Variety. "To achieve this, we needed to find actors with a magical connection – and we have in Kiefer and Kate."

Sutherland’s building a decent post-24 slate: he’s in Lars von Trier’s Melancholia and also just signed on to crime drama Sleight of Hand. Bosworth, meanwhile, has Sundance films Another Happy Day and Little Birds under her belt and will also be seen in Rod Lurie’s remake of Straw Dogs.