Kristen Wiig, Sally Hawkins, Maggie Smith Join ‘A Boy Called Christmas’

Kristen Wiig, Sally Hawkins, Maggie Smith Join ' Boy Called Christmas' — Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

A lineup of big names, including Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Paddington) and Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter), have come together for the Netflix/StudioCanal adaptation of festive children’s book A Boy Called Christmas.

Jim Broadbent (Paddington), Zoe Colletti (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), Toby Jones (Infamous, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House), Henry Lawfull (Les Miserables), Rune Temte (Captain Marvel) and Indica Watson (The Missing, Sherlock) have also joined the cast of the film, which has now commenced principal photography and shoots in Lapland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and London.

A Boy Called Christmas is being directed by Oscar nominee Gil Kenan (Monster House), who adapted the screenplay with Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) from the best-selling book by Matt Haig, the first of five books in the acclaimed series, all of which are published by Canongate Books (Life of Pi, Under the Skin, How to Stop Time).

StudioCanal will release the film theatrically in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and China, and Netflix will release the film in the rest of the world. StudioCanal produces with Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin of BAFTA- and Oscar-winning banner Blueprint Pictures (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).

The film will tell the story of an ordinary boy called Nikolas who sets out on an extraordinary adventure into the snowy north in search of his father, who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse, Nikolas soon meets his destiny in this story that proves nothing is impossible.

The Oscar-winning team at Framestore (Christopher Robin, Fantastic Beasts, Paddington 1 & 2, The Golden Compass) will provide the visual effects for the film.