Raja Gosnell takes on the assignment of a holiday film as the director is attached to the live-action family film Santa: The Adventure Begins for Armory Films, DNF Pictures and K. JAM Media according to sources at Deadline.

The screenplay written by Tamara Taillie follows the humble beginnings of the titular character Santa Claus as a lonely orphan and aspiring toymaker. In a spiritual self-discovery journey, Claus ventures to the North with the help of his friends and stumbles upon a source of unfathomable magic to which it will forever change him and the world.

Marisol Roncali and Chelsea Bloch who previously wrote Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw and Jungle Cruise are currently casting for the film with principal photography eyed later this year in Cologne, Germany. Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros of Armory Films are assigned with the task of producing the film alongside Kia Jam and Dean Altit. Oscar victor Barrie Osborne of The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix fame will serve as the film’s executive producer accompanied by Carolina Vianna Leite.

Gosnell’s catalog is vast and has accumulated $2 billion world wide at the box office with the first two Smurf films and Never Been Kissed being credits of note.

Never Been Kissed (1999)
Directed by Raja Gosnell
Shown from left foreground: Drew Barrymore, Leelee Sobieski