Nick Jonas Holiday Comedy for Netflix Sets January 2027 Production Start in New Jersey

A holiday comedy feature starring Nick Jonas is gearing up for a January 2027 principal photography start in New Jersey, and with the production currently in active casting and pre-production, the window to get on board is very much open. The untitled Netflix project, developed under the working title "Unt. Nick Jonas Xmas," centers on Abigail Benton, a young and precocious girl whose mother has recently passed away, and the unlikely relationship she forms with her cousin Tom Benton, played by Jonas himself. While Christmas comedies can sometimes read as lightweight studio fare, the emotional core here, a child navigating grief while finding an unexpected bond with a reluctant family member, suggests the filmmakers are aiming for something with a bit more warmth and resonance underneath the laughs. For crew looking at their 2027 calendar, this is a real opportunity worth tracking closely right now.

Directing is Ari Sandel, whose feature resume makes him a natural fit for this kind of family-friendly crowd-pleaser. Sandel won an Academy Award for his short film "West Bank Story" and went on to direct "The DUFF" for Lionsgate in 2015, a sharp and commercially successful teen comedy that demonstrated his ability to balance humor with genuine heart. He also helmed "Wish Upon" and has extensive television credits to his name. Sandel is a director who knows how to work efficiently within genre conventions while keeping audiences emotionally invested, which is exactly what a holiday comedy with this kind of premise demands. The screenplay comes from Tamara Chestna, who is also serving as a producer on the project. Chestna has writing credits across both film and television, and her dual role here signals that she has been closely involved in shaping the project from the ground up. That writer-as-producer dynamic often results in a more stable creative environment on set, with fewer last-minute script changes driven by external pressures.

Nick Jonas is attached not only as the lead but also as a producer, joining a producing team that includes Mark Ross, Steve Barnett, and Spencer Berman. Jonas's involvement on the producing side is consistent with the trajectory he has been building in the film world beyond his music career and prior acting work, including his appearances in the "Jumanji" franchise. His familiarity with high-profile studio productions and his obvious stake in the project's success should translate into a committed, well-resourced set environment. The production is being developed through Atomic Honey, a production company that is partnered here with Netflix directly on the feature. Casting is being handled by Chelsea Ellis Bloch and Marisol Roncali, with Kevin Slowey serving as casting associate and Miranda Kang as casting assistant. Agents and managers representing young female talent in the pre-teen range should be paying particular attention, as the role of Abigail Benton is clearly the project's central casting priority.

Netflix's attachment tells crew a great deal about what to expect in terms of scale and resources. As a streamer that competes aggressively in the holiday content space, often releasing multiple original Christmas features each year, Netflix consistently backs these productions with budgets that support professional, union-level shoots with full department staffing. Holiday features for the platform tend to fall in the mid-to-upper range of their feature budget tier, and productions filming in established markets like New Jersey are typically run as SAG-AFTRA productions with competitive rates. The Atomic Honey banner has worked within this ecosystem as well, and the combination of a Netflix deal and a multi-producer setup suggests this is not a stripped-down production but a properly resourced feature.

Filming is set to take place in New Jersey, with a production start date of January 19, 2027. New Jersey is an increasingly active production state, backed by a competitive film tax incentive program that offers a transferable credit of up to 30 percent on qualified production expenses, which has been a significant driver of feature and television production in the state in recent years. The Garden State sits in close proximity to New York City, giving productions access to one of the deepest and most experienced crew pools in the world. Department heads based in the New York tri-state area will find this a highly accessible shoot, and productions filming in New Jersey frequently draw from both the local New Jersey crew community and the broader New York film workforce. Stage facilities in the region include Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, Silvercup Studios in Queens, and various New Jersey-based stages that have expanded in capacity as incentive-driven production has increased. A January start date in New Jersey also signals that the art and locations departments will need to think creatively about delivering a Christmas aesthetic in the dead of winter, which may or may not align with the story's actual seasonal setting. Either way, the timing and geography point toward a production that will keep local crew busy through what is traditionally a quieter stretch of the year.

With a January 2027 start, this production is roughly a year out, but casting is actively underway and pre-production is moving. That means department heads in art, costume, production design, and locations are likely being considered or approached in the coming months, well ahead of when general crew hiring accelerates. The full production listing on ProductionList.com, including production office contact information, the confirmed crew list as it builds out, and any scheduling updates, is the best place to monitor this one as it develops. If you are a New Jersey or New York-based crew member looking to plan your early 2027 calendar, or an agent with young talent right for the lead role, bookmark this listing and check back regularly. Productions like this move fast once they get closer to cameras-up.

Click here for production info or to contact producers