Mike White should be a lot better known than he is. He can work on studio projects and turn out screenplay gems like School Of Rock, and he can write quirky, personal projects like Chuck & Buck (which he also starred in), but there’s little doubt that whatever he’s involved in, it’s going to be interesting.
Variety now reports that he’s been signed up for Santa Wars, which may sound like a wacky high-concept comedy (probably starring Robin Williams), but is actually based on a true story. The idea for the film came from segments that aired on Ira Glass’ radio show, ‘This American Life’, which related the tale of two men, Tim and Nick, who set up the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, in order the unionise the seasonal profession and try to gets Santas more rights (particularly against the fly-by-nights who don’t have a genuine white beard). However the founders had endless battles and the union eventually split into two bitterly divided rival factions, causing a veritable Santa Claus civil war!
It is the perfect material for White, as while others would just turn it into generic schlock, Mike’s shown a great knack for finding unexpected humour in bizarre situations. Whatever he writes, it won’t be your typical festive movie (and hopefully won’t star Robin Williams).