EXCLUSIVE: Jack Black and brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly, the team behind the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal, look to be reuniting for the holidays — and bringing an infamous character along for the sleigh ride. Sources tell Deadline that Black is set to star in the Christmas comedy Dear Santa with Bobby Farrelly set to direct and Peter Farrelly on board to produce with Bobby and Jeremy Kramer.
The movie centers on a young boy who, in writing his yearly note to Santa, mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead. Black recently teased the project on social media when he posted a photo of him posing with Christmas decorations with no context — it got everyone talking about what it could be.
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The film also will star Robert Timothy Smith, with a supporting cast that includes Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, PJ Byrne, newcomer Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post.
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The current working draft of the script is by the Farrelly brothers and Ricky Blitt, with the original idea from Dan Ewen.
Black and the Farrellys first worked together on Shallow Hal, which not only made noise at the box office but earned strong reviews and a loyal following, with fans hoping the trio would team up again down the road. Since then, the three having been looking for the right project and, after the brothers had finished this script, the siblings felt Black was the perfect person to star in it.
Black next will be seen in Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the voice of Bowser, set for release in April. Coming up, he will be seen in Lionsgate’s Borderlands. This summer, Black and Kyle Gass will head out on a Tenacious D tour of Europe. He is represented by Ocean Avenue and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern.
The Farrelly brothers are known worldwide for their iconic comedies including their 1994 debut Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself & Irene, There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin and Hall Pass, among others. Their films have grossed well over $1 billion at the box office. The duo has collaborated on nearly 20 film and TV projects including The Three Stooges, Stuck on You, Fever Pitch, Osmosis Jones, Dumb & Dumber To and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid.
Bobby also produced the documentary The Lost Son of Havana and has directed TV shows including Loudermilk, The Now and Trailer Park Boys. His latest film, Champions, starring Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olsen, hit theaters last week (read the review).
Peter’s 2018 film Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini, won three Oscars including Best Picture and Original Screenplay. He most recently directed last year’s Zac Efron starrer The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
Bobby Farrelly is repped by A3 Artists Agency, Anonymous Content and Lichter Grossman Nichols. Peter Farrelly is with CAA, Anonymous Content and Lichter Grossman Nichols.
