Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer and Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain are teaming up once again for an untitled holiday comedy, according to a report from THR. The project was subject to a bidding war between Fox and Paramount and Universal, with Universal winning out. Chastain and her producing partner Kelly Carmichael developed the idea and wrote the original treatment, with Peter Chiarelli writing the script. Chiarelli just finished writing the forthcoming film Crazy Rich Asians, based on the Kevin Kwan novel of the same name, and also wrote The Proposal and Now You See Me 2.
The project centers on two women who are trying to make it home for Christmas, similar to the plot of the beloved John Candy and Steve Martin comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Spencer and Chastain previously starred together in the 2011 drama The Help, which earned Spencer her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and Chastain a nomination.
Chastain’s company Freckle Films is slated to produce, along with Maven Pictures, who produced the 2016 festival darling film American Honey, starring Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough. Kelly Carmichael serves as the head of production and development for Freckle Films, and will serve as a producer alongside Chastain and Maven’s Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler.
Spencer is gathering a lot of awards-season recognition this year with her performance in The Shape of Water and Chastain can be seen in Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game. Both films are in theaters now.