Naughty movie cast adds Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage
Jennifer Aniston will play a single mom opposite Peter Dinklage’s Santa Claus in Olivia Wilde’s Universal comedy Naughty.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
The Naughty movie cast is getting a very famous mom and a very unexpected Santa: Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage are set to star in Olivia Wilde’s upcoming Universal comedy, Variety reported.
Aniston will play Mallory, a single mother caught in a custody fight over her son. Dinklage is lined up to play Santa Claus, according to Variety, putting the Christmas icon right in the middle of a divorce hearing setup.
Deadline first reported the casting update, Variety said.
Who is in the Naughty movie cast?
The announced cast so far includes Jennifer Aniston as Mallory and Peter Dinklage as Santa Claus. Olivia Wilde is directing the film for Universal.
The movie’s setup, as reported by Variety, follows Mallory as she tries to keep custody of her son. Her plan depends on tracking down Santa Claus and persuading him to give testimony in court during her divorce case.
The project gives Aniston another comedy role built around family chaos, while Dinklage steps into the part of the “king of Christmas,” as Variety described it. The film’s premise frames Santa as more than a holiday mascot, making him a potential courtroom witness in Mallory’s fight with her ex.
What is Naughty about?
Naughty centers on Mallory, whose ex is described in the project materials cited by Variety as a “gaslighting trash-bag ex.” The hook is that the ex is Santa Claus, giving the custody battle its oddball holiday twist.
Jimmy Warden wrote the screenplay and the original spec script. A spec script is a screenplay written on speculation, before it is necessarily commissioned or attached to a production deal.
Warden’s credits listed by Variety include Cocaine Bear and Borderline. The producing team for Naughty includes LuckyChap, Wilde and Warden.
When will Naughty be released?
Universal has scheduled Naughty for a theatrical release on Nov. 5, 2027, according to Variety.
Wilde will direct the film after her latest directing effort, The Invite, which Variety described as a success. No additional cast members, filming dates or plot details were included in the report.
The project brings together a sharp comic premise, a major studio release date and two familiar screen names. For now, the biggest confirmed ingredients are Aniston as the mom trying to win her custody case, Dinklage as Santa, and Wilde behind the camera.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.