Jodie Whittaker and Brian Cox have joined the cast for That Christmas, a new festive film from Richard Curtis.
The animation, which is being produced by Netflix, is an adaptation of Curtis’ book series, with the plot following the residents of a “charming seaside town” as things are turned “upside down” over the festive season.
Succession star Cox will play Santa Claus, with Whittaker voicing the role of Mrs Williams. The pair will be joined by Fiona Shaw and regular Curtis collaborator Bill Nighy, with the duo voicing Ms Trapper and Bill respectively.
Related: Richard Curtis reveals unexpected Christmas wish
That Christmas will depict a series of “entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys”.
Curtis, who will produce and write the film, said in a statement: “This has been the most amazing adventure, my first animated film. It’s been especially exciting to see the whole world I imagined come to life beyond my wildest dreams - and populated by a dream bunch of actors, their wonderful voices turned into such rich and funny characters.”
“Becoming an animator had been on my Christmas wish list ever since I was a child, and watching animated movies was one of the biggest Christmas traditions in my family,” added director Simon Otto.
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“But never could I have imagined that one day I would get the chance to direct a Christmas film written by the one-and-only Richard Curtis and collaborate with some of the most iconic voice talents.
“Watching this cast bring life to these heart-warmingly funny tales and infuse them with the magic of animation is truly a dream come true. I hope That Christmas becomes a cherished tradition for audiences worldwide.”
Ghosts' Lolly Adefope, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, Guz Khan, and Alex Macqueen are among the other stars who are part of the cast.
That Christmas will stream on Netflix later this year.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
