Peter Dinklage dons the red suit for Olivia Wilde’s Naughty, with Jennifer Aniston

Olivia Wilde is firing up another offbeat comedy and, frankly, this one sounds absolutely crackers. Her latest project at Universal Studios is called Naughty, and the cast list alone is enough to perk up even the most cynical film fan: Jennifer Aniston is playing a mother in the trenches of a nasty custody fight, and Peter Dinklage — yes, you heard right — is donning the full Father Christmas beard as Santa himself.

The Plot (and It's a Mad One)

Naughty isn't your standard Christmas fare. The script — written by Jimmy Warden of Cocaine Bear infamy — starts with Aniston's Mallory, who's desperate to win custody of her kid from her manipulative, thoroughly unlikeable ex. The solution? Find Santa Claus and get him to testify at the divorce hearing. It's an idea that's equal parts absurd and brilliant. Warden sold the script as a spec, so Wilde really had her pick of the weird here, and she's steering this sleigh straight towards the screens herself as director.

Naughty is due in cinemas on 5 November 2027, with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap producing.

Apparently, Wilde always had Aniston and Dinklage pegged for the lead roles — to be honest, now I've heard it I can't picture anyone else.

The Wilde Touch

Worth noting, Wilde is coming off the back of the critical darling The Invite. That one did the rounds at Sundance this year, sparked an all-night studio bidding war, and ended up with A24. It raked in nearly $32 million worldwide, not exactly peanuts for an indie comedy, and sits at a cool 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Invite had Wilde in front of and behind the camera, mixing it up with the likes of Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. She seems to have a knack for wrangling big names and absurd scenarios into something actually funny — not always a given with these high-concept comedies.

Yes, Santa in Court — With Receipts

Back to Naughty. The premise really leans into the bonkers: If Aniston's character manages to drag Santa into the witness box, she'd basically be blowing his cover for the entire planet. Dinklage as a possibly world-weary, testifying Santa? There's potential for complete chaos — exactly what you want out of a festive film these days, frankly. It does make you wonder what sort of world they're building where this is even remotely possible. Expect confusion, hijinks, maybe a bit too much truth for a traditional family Christmas. And with Wilde and Warden at the wheel, absolutely no guarantees of a happy-ever-after for anyone, Santa included.