They holidays may have come to an end, but that in no way, shape, or form means we have to put away our Christmas movies anytime soon. As arguably the biggest single holiday in the world, Christmas has developed into its own film genre over the years, producing timeless classics as well as some genuinely terrible flops. For all of the ups and downs, very few holiday films have every endeavored to tell the story of December 25 from the point of view of Santa Claus’ wife, Mrs. Claus. Actress Elizabeth Banks seems to have noticed this and has set out on a mission to rectify that problem.
Based on a new report from Variety, we now know that Universal Pictures has picked up an as of now untitled Christmas themed movie from Banks. Teaming up with her Pitch Perfect partner Max Handelman, Banks is currently set to produce the film, but nothing has been said about whether or not she will find herself in front of the camera as well. The basic premise of the movie will revolve around the life of Santa’s better half as she struggles to cope with stress, marriage, and many other everyday annoyances as Christmas Day gets closer and closer.
In the grand scheme of things, a movie like this makes a great deal of sense. While the market for Christmas movies has most certainly become saturated over the years, there hasn’t been that many mainstream holiday films that focus solely on the female point of view. We’ve seen innumerable movies that center upon the big man in red himself, but for some reasons Mrs. Claus has always remained off to the side – despite being a fundamental part of his mythology. We're not saying this will be the Furiosa version of Mrs. Claus (despite how awesome that would be) or anything, but it may still prove beneficial to see a change of pace.
Of course, this isn’t Banks’ first foray into the world of Christmas movies, or even the North Pole itself. She previously appeared in the 2007 flop Fred Claus opposite Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. Based on that fact alone, we have to say it’s actually somewhat surprising that she would venture to try another holiday movie considering that movie’s status as an unmitigated disaster.
Before Banks can do anything associated with the film she still has to get through production of Pitch Perfect 3, The Red Queen, and the Charlie’s Angels reboot, so it’s safe to say she has her hands full. This Mrs. Claus project is currently in the very earliest stages of its existence, so we will bring you more on the coming Mrs. Claus film as it becomes available.
