It'll be her first big film project since all that Don't Worry Darling drama dominated headlines last year, but hopefully, Olivia Wilde's next directorial gig will feature far less drama. The actress-director was last seen onscreen as Ina Conrad in the 2022 period drama Babylon and her next project will reportedly reunite her with that film's leading lady, Margot Robbie, as they begin work on a Christmas comedy.
However, if you're looking forward to seeing the Barbie star—who recently opened up about the challenges of playing the fashion doll—onscreen in an Olivia Wilde-directed movie, we're sorry to disappoint. Robbie's participation in the Christmas comedy, which Deadline reports will be titled Naughty, will be of the producer sort, with the holiday flick backed by the actor's production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.
According to the outlet, Naughty will have a "Bridesmaids in the North Pole" vibe with a screenplay penned by Cocaine Bear's screenwriter Jimmy Warden. The funny-sounding film will allegedly follow a single mom, Mallory, who must track down Santa Claus himself to testify in her divorce hearing in order to gain custody of her son from her ex.
LuckyChap has had quite the year: the production company, which Robbie founded in 2014 alongside her husband Tom Ackerley as well as Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr, is behind this year's billion-dollar blockbuster Barbie. The star producer shrewdly traded her upfront salary for a chance at a bigger piece of the box-office gross, reportedly earning up to $50 million for the Mattel-themed movie.
The company has also produced films including I, Tonya, Birds of Prey, Promising Young Woman and, most recently, Emerald Fennell’s scandalous drama Saltburn, as well as television series, like Hulu's Dollface.
As for Wilde, Naughty will be the filmmaker's third feature film, after 2022's Don't Worry Darling and the 2019 high-school comedy, Booksmart.
Despite middling critical reviews for DWD and all of that supposed beef between the Don't Worry Darling cast — Wilde famously dated that film's lead actor Harry Styles, and she was involved in a rumored feud with Styles' co-star Florence Pugh — the aforementioned period drama was a commercial success for the director, bringing in $87 million on a budget of $35 million.
Booksmart was also well-received, earning $25 million against a $6 million budget and nabbing star Beanie Feldstein a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.
While being honored as one of Elle‘s Women in Hollywood at the magazine's 2022 ceremony, Olivia commented on the backlash she experienced while directing Don't Worry Darling and proclaimed that, despite it all, directing was "undeniably the greatest job on the planet." Per The Hollywood Reporter, she said:
I was an actress who started producing and then finally got the courage to start directing, and wouldn’t have started any of it at all if I knew Twitter would be invented. But here I am and it’s a real thrill to have what is undeniably the greatest job on the planet.”
As of press time, a studio is not yet attached to Naughty, and no casting has been publicized so far. However, keep your eyes on the 2024 movie schedule for future information on the upcoming Christmas flick that will be directed by Olivia Wilde and produced by Margot Robbie.
