Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage are set to star as Mallory and Santa Claus respectively in “Naughty” for Universal Pictures, the studio announced Tuesday.
Olivia Wilde (“The Invite,” “Don’t Worry Darling,” “Booksmart”) will direct the film written by Jimmy Warden (“Cocaine Bear,” “Borderline”). The project originates from a spec script by Warden.
Universal Pictures will distribute Naughty in theaters on Nov. 5, 2027.
“Naughty” follows Mallory, whose only hope of securing custody of her son from her gaslighting trash-bag ex is to find Santa Claus and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.
LuckyChap will produce. Wilde and Warden will produce.
Wilde’s most recent movie “The Invite,” is receiving critical acclaim. In his review of the film, TheWrap’s Adam Chitwood wrote: “Wilde’s third feature directorial effort finds her masterfully staging a contained story of two couples in one apartment over the course of a single night, resulting in something like the great-great-grandchild of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Wilde and Seth Rogen play Angela and Joe, a couple who have been married for some time and share a teenage daughter. But their relationship is on thin ice – most conversations devolve into arguments, and cutting asides from each other only gives way to escalation.”
Aniston is repped by CAA, Lighthouse Management & Media, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller. Dinklage is repped by CAA, Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Wilde is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, Narrative and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Warden is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis and Ziffren Brittenham. LuckyChap is repped by Entertainment 360, CAA, Narrative and attorney Jeff Bernstein.
Executive Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott and Director of Production Development Jacqueline Garell will oversee the project for the studio.
Deadline first reported the news.