James Corden continues his campaign to find decent film roles, after working with Once director John Carney on Can A Song Save Your Life and playing talent show sensation Paul Potts in One Chance. For his next trick, he’s teaming up with someone who has helped him to success on the stage – writer Richard Bean – for family comedy School For Santas.
Working Title films is developing the project around Corden, fashioning a leading role as a down-on-his-luck dad who has to find some Christmas spirit and embrace his inner Santa in order to win back his kids.
We worry that with the wrong handling, it could become a schmaltzy festive fizzle along the lines of Jingle All The Way, but with a script from One Man, Two Guvnors writer Bean (the stage show that catapulted Corden to his recent successes), we’re more hopeful. And a bloke fighting against the odds is something that Corden can certainly handle.
There’s no director attached just yet, but when they round one up, School For Santas will shoot in London and New York next year. And we apologise for the "ho-ho-ho levels" joke. Our punishment will be to wear a silly paper hat for three days straight.