Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain are reuniting for a festive new comedy, Deck the Y’Alls. The duo will be joined by Wanda Sykes (Bad Moms, Monster-in-Law) in the holiday film, written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Stefanie Williams.
The story follows Rachel Stein (Chastain), a savvy New York baker who thinks she can roll with anything—until she falls for Beau, a younger Southern gentleman, and heads to Charleston to spend Christmas with his family. There, she encounters Beau’s mother Gladys Gibbes (Spencer), a celebrity chef with a larger-than-life personality and a sharp steel magnolia edge. Surviving Gladys’ over-protective ways will put all of Rachel’s “bless-her-heart” charm to the test.
Set to lens in Charleston, South Carolina next year, the project marks another on-screen reunion for Spencer and Chastain, who previously starred together in The Help.
Deck the Y’Alls is produced by Sandbox Studios, Spencer’s ORIT Entertainment, Chastain’s Freckle Films, and Sony Music Vision. The film is currently in active discussions with distribution partners.
Oliver, who made history as the first Black woman to write a $100 million-grossing movie with 2017’s Girls Trip, continues her momentum with this project. She also created Harlem and First Wives Club and is currently writing Girls Trip 2.