Olivia Wilde's 'Naughty' casts Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage in Santa Claus custody comedy

The project

Olivia Wilde's fourth directorial feature, "Naughty," has been greenlit by Universal Pictures with Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage attached to star. The holiday comedy, written by Jimmy Warden from his original spec script, follows Mallory (Aniston), a mother fighting a custody battle against her ex-husband. Her last resort is to locate Santa Claus (Dinklage) and persuade him to testify in the divorce hearing. Universal dated the film for a theatrical release on Nov. 5, 2027.

Wilde's vision

Wilde described the project as a passion she fought to get made, aiming for a comedy in the spirit of Rob Reiner with "a tremendous amount of heart." She acknowledged the scale of the undertaking, calling it "way bigger than anything I've ever taken on." The director expressed gratitude for Universal's trust in backing an original theatrical comedy at this level. On Instagram, she celebrated the casting with a post: "Ho, ho, ho, let's f***ing go."

I can't believe it. This is a project we've been working on for years; it's a passion project and I fought and fought and fought to get this made. I feel so grateful that we get to make it because it is a movie that aims to be in the spirit of Rob Reiner, a comedy that has a tremendous amount of heart at its core.

but it's also a much bigger endeavor and is something that is way bigger than anything I've ever taken on. I feel very honored in this day and age to be able to direct an original theatrical comedy for a studio at this level. Universal is putting a tremendous amount of trust in me and the ability to be able to direct Jen and Peter, among a host of other incredible actors who are hopefully coming on board; I just couldn't be more excited.

Production and release

Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment is producing alongside Wilde and Warden. Universal executives Sara Scott and Jacqueline Garell oversee the project. The studio moved quickly after the success of Wilde's "The Invite," which earned $20 million in the US and $16 million internationally, with a 97% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and 90% of exit poll respondents recommending the theatrical experience. The strong performance reinforced the urgency for theatrical comedies and helped secure the greenlight for "Naughty."

Casting background

Wilde had long envisioned Aniston and Dinklage for the lead roles. Aniston, known for her Emmy-winning role on "Friends" and comedies like "We're the Millers" and "The Breakup," brings decades of comedic experience. Dinklage, famous for "Game of Thrones," previously played an elf in the 2003 Christmas film "Buddy - Der Weihnachtself." Both actors have prior holiday comedy credits: Aniston in "Office Christmas Party" (2016) and Wilde herself in "Alle Jahre wieder - Weihnachten mit den Coopers" (2015).