Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are reuniting for a new film.
“The Help” co-stars will lead a holiday comedy for Universal.
Following a heated bidding war, the studio won the rights to the untitled pitch from Chastain’s Freckle Films.
Chastain and Kelly Carmichael wrote the original treatment and “Crazy Rich Asians” scribe Peter Chiarelli is on board to pen the script. Chastain is attached to produce with her company Freckle Films, along with Maven Pictures. Carmichael, Celine Rattray, and Trudie Styler will also produce.
Universal beat out Fox and Paramount for the pitch, which follows two women fighting the elements to make it home for Christmas.
Exec VP of production Erik Baiers and creative executive Mika Pryce will oversee the project for Universal.
The movie marks a re-team for Chastain and Spencer, who each earned an Oscar nomination for the smash hit “The Help,” with Spencer ultimately taking home the trophy for best supporting actress. Since then, the A-listers haven’t stopped garnering praise for their work, with both earning additional Academy Awards noms (Chastain for 2012’s “Zero Dark Thirty” and Spencer for 2016’s “Hidden Figures”).
This award season is no different as Chastain and Spencer are coming off critically acclaimed performances in Aaron Sorkin’s poker drama “Molly’s Game” and Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War fairy tale “The Shape of Water,” respectively.
Chiarelli is best known for writing the hit romantic comedy “The Proposal,” in addition to the upcoming film “Crazy Rich Asians,” set to hit theaters later this year. He is repped UTA, Mosaic, and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.
Chastain — who is repped by CAA, Mosaic, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman — can be seen next in “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.”
Spencer recently wrapped production on the indie “A Kid Like Jake.” She is repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein.
