Universal Pictures has confirmed it greenlit the holiday comedy "Naughty" from director Olivia Wilde, with Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage cast in the lead roles, and set a release date of 5 November 2027. The project is significant as a fast-tracked follow-up to Wilde's acclaimed film "The Invite", with the studio moving quickly to lock in Wilde, Aniston and Dinklage before they could commit elsewhere, according to sources close to the deal reported by Deadline.

Written by Jimmy Warden from a spec Universal acquired in 2023, the film follows Mallory (Aniston), who must track down Santa Claus (Dinklage) and persuade him to testify at her divorce hearing to help her win custody of her son. LuckyChap is producing alongside Wilde and Warden. The move follows the strong reception of "The Invite", which holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and has taken roughly $36 million worldwide so far, with most European markets still to come; Aniston, an Emmy winner for "Friends" and star of comedies including "We're The Millers", is currently also earning acclaim for Apple's "The Morning Show", whose fifth season has just been announced as its last.