Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are teaming for an untitled holiday comedy set up at Universal.
Chastain and Kelly Carmichael wrote the original treatment and Peter Chiarelli will write the script, which centers on two women who hope to make it home for Christmas.
The project is described as being in the vein of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the 1987 movie that saw John Candy and Steve Martin stuck with each other as they tried to make it to their respective homes for Christmas. The comedy will be a reunion for the two actresses, who starred in 2011’s The Help.
Universal picked up the project in a bidding war that included Fox and Paramount.
Chastain is attached to produce with her company Freckle Films, along with Maven Pictures. Carmichael, who is head of production and development at Freckle Films, will produce along with Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler. Erik Baiers and Mika Pryce will oversee the project for Universal.
Chastain, who is repped by CAA, Mosaic and Hansen Jacobson, is currently in theaters in Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game and will next be seen in Fox’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Spencer is also in theaters with major awards contender The Shape of Water and stars in the Sundance selection A Kid Like Jake. She is repped by WME, Viewpoint and Jackoway Tyerman.
