Two comedians are partnering for an animated Christmas comedy — but strictly of the adult animated variety.
Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen will voice the eight-episode series “Santa Inc.” just ordered by HBO Max. The story is about the rivalry of Candy Smalls (Silverman), a high-ranking female elf set on becoming the first Santa, and (Rogen) the assumed successor lured by Amazon.
The eight-episode series, featuring half-hour episodes, will be written by showrunner Alexandra Rushfield (“Shrill,” “Parks and Recreation.”)
“I have long dreamed of a taking a beloved holiday tradition and adding a feminist agenda and some R-rated comedy,” stated Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president original comedy and animation.
“Santa Inc.” is produced by Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures in partnership with Lionsgate.
Lionsgate head of scripted development Scott Herbst called Silverman (“I Smile Back,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet”) and Rogen (“Knocked Up,” “The Green Hornet”), “the perfect comedy duo for this empowering and very funny animated series.”
The streamer, debuting May 27, announced two other projects this week.
HBO Max added two big names to its roster: singer-actress Selena Gomez (“The Big Short,” “Fundamentals of Caring”) and three-time Emmy winner Jean Smart. Gomez is enlisted for the 10-episode “Untitled Cooking Project,” which launches this summer. Smart (“Designing Women,” “Samantha Who?”) was signed to a 10-episode comedy series from the “Broad City” writer-producer creative team.
The streamer also partnered with Crunchyroll — a renowned distributor of anime — to bring 17 titles to the platform at launch. Subscribers can access titles such as “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” “Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World” (director’s cut) and “Keep Your Hands off Eizouken,” alongside the Crunchyroll original series “In/Spectre.”