Pitch Perfect alum Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman are attached to produce John Riggi’s untitled holiday pitch for Universal, according to Deadline.
Centering around Mrs. Claus in the build-up to the festive season, Riggi’s original story reportedly centers on Santa’s significant other, as she juggles life, marriage and keeping check on who’s been naughty or nice. Perhaps best known for his work on NBC’s hit comedy sitcom 30 Rock, Riggi has been nominated for the Writers Guild award, all the while picking up an Emmy.
Even on paper, combining the producing talents that helped shepherd Pitch Perfect into a global phenomenon – particularly Banks, who helmed the musical sequel – and the scribe that contributed to 30 Rock sounds overly promising, and Universal may very well be onto a winner with what will likely be its marquee 2016 holiday release.
Then again, that only leaves time for a quick turnaround in development for Riggi’s feature pitch, which is still to nail down an official title let alone an ensemble cast.
As of yet, there’s no official word on whether Elizabeth Banks will don the fluffy red overalls as Mrs. Claus, or on the other hand concentrate on producing duties behind the camera, but we’ll keep you posted nonetheless. What is readily apparent is that John Riggi’s nascent holiday feature is a icy breath of fresh air. After all, from Bad Santa to The Santa Clause and (almost) everything in between, vast swathes of festive movies have focused on the big man himself, so it’s nigh time that Mrs. Claus was given her due.
Among Universal’s roster, Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman are involved in Pitch Perfect 3, while recently John Riggi oversaw the pilot episode for Rebel Wilson’s Super Fun Night at ABC.