Richard Curtis, king of the romantic comedy genre, has decided that the soon-to-be-released About Time will most likely be his last. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker, best known for his screenwriting skills for The Boat That Rocked, Love Actually, Notting Hill, and both Bridget Jones films, has told Empire magazine (reported by The Independent) that "[About Time] probably will be the last film I will direct."

Pressed for a reason he's taking a step back, the 56 year-old filmmaker admitted he himself wasn't sure: "I don't know. Just a feeling...just a feeling. It feels like a summing-up to me. We'll see how things turn out."

Richard Curtis
Rom-com Director Richard Curtis Is Stepping Away From His Directing Career.

About Time will mark a return to the theme of time travelling for US actress Rachel McAdams (The Time Traveler's Wife) and will star Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and Bill Nighy (Love Actually) in a film about a young man who learns that time travelling runs in his family. He uses this unique skill to his advantage, as the socially awkward Tim "retakes" events to give him a better chance with girls.

Watch The About Time Trailer:

The trailer shows that the new rom-com will probably be as sweet, funny, and memorable a movie as the other British films that made Curtis famous.

Richard Curtis
Richard Curtis: An Expert At Blending The Romantic And The Funny.

The New Zealand-born director honed his skills for creating humour, perfecting the comedy feather that would tickle the quintessential and particular British sense of humour, by co-writing TV comedies Blackadder, Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley before the thrice BAFTA-winning, once Oscar-nominated director made his foray into cinema.

His choice to take the drivers deat in films turned out to be a wise one, but also one that he had to be sure he was ready for, saying it took him a long time "to be wise or experienced enough to dare to direct [a movie]. Many of the comedies I like the most, from Woody Allen's films to Monty Python's films, have been directed by the people who write them."

About Time will be released in the UK from 4th September this year.