This is the very sad reason Emma Thompson will not be doing the “Love Actually” sequel

Ever since we heard there was going to be a Love Actually sequel, we’ve been wondering if Emma Thompson would be returning to her iconic role. Sadly, we learned today that Karen, A.K.A. Emma Thompson, is not going to be returning for the Love Actually sequel.
"Ems isn't in it. She just can't do it," director Richard Curtis said of Thompson, having noted before that the project was pulled together in kind of a hurry.
While we’re wondering if Thompson’s Beauty and the Beastpress activities are keeping her busy — which is super likely, considering the movie is out in less than a month (!!!!) — there’s another sad reason that her inclusion in the film just might not make sense: Alan Rickman, who played Karen’s husband Harry, won’t be there (cue tears).
"You know, dealing with Alan is very complicated," Curtis told Press Association of the decision not to include a tribute to Rickman. "We're not doing everyone. We're doing about two-thirds of people."
To refresh your memory (in case you haven’t seen the original Love Actually 1335485 times like us), Harry has an affair with Mia, his secretary, and he and longtime love Karen split up. At the end of the movie, we see them reunite at the airport and share an amicable-yet-surface-level exchange, leaving the audience to wonder if they ever worked it out.
Personally, we hope Karen gets at least a mention. We’d even settle for Thompson’s voice in a phone call between herself and brother David/Hugh Grant, who definitely WILL be back.
Or maybe Karen and Harry’s daughter became a famous actress who specializes in playing shellfish, and we’ll get to see how that all turned out for her.
We hope Harry worked out his issues too, and that the fictional couple’s kids grew up with two parents who, even if they didn’t end up together, mastered the art of co-parenting.
Regardless, we’ll be waiting patiently for March 24 to see most of our favorite characters again, when the 10-minute short Red Nose Day Actually airs during BBC One’s “Red Nose Day,” to benefit Comic Relief. And we’ll be raising a glass to Thompson and Rickman.