X-MISS
When Santa’s long-lost daughter learns she’s next in line for the job, she must overcome her hate for the holidays — and some serious daddy issues — to save Christmas.
Available to read upon request.
LOGLINE
Santa’s dead. Sam Nicks—a cynical New Yorker with zero Christmas spirit —discovers she’s his estranged daughter and has just thirty days to take over the family business before a corrupt toy mogul claims the role and changes the Christmas we know and love forever.
SUMMARY
LENGTH: 108 pages
RATED: PG
AUDIENCE: Four-quadrant theatrical appeal with global resonance.
TONE/GENRE: The Santa Clause / Elf / Fred Claus
WORLD BUILDING: Harry Potter / Wonka / Polar Express
EMOTIONAL THEMES: The Santa Clause / Elf / Holdovers
THE PLOT
X-MISS is a comedic holiday film about Sam Nicks, a fiercely independent New Yorker who’s spent her life dodging responsibility — and the holidays. But when a mysterious agency informs her she’s Santa’s long-lost daughter and the sole heir to the job, Sam is reluctantly thrown into a crash course in Santa training in the North Pole.
Surrounded by judgmental elves, magical mayhem, and competitive milk-chugging, Sam struggles to find her place in a world she never believed in.
Within 30 days, Sam must decide whether she will return to her old life or become Santa Claus before a corrupt toy store mogul steals the job and changes Christmas forever.
THE ANTI-HERO
SAM NICKS (25) is a hot-headed, unapologetic New Yorker. Raised by a broken-hearted, single mother - she was told not to expect anything from the world, or anyone in it.
Along with this cynical world view, Sam inherits her mother’s strange and intense distaste for the holidays.
Never feeling worthy of a good job, a real relationship, or even a present under the tree - Sam has the life she feels she deserves, until that gets turned completely upside down.
Sam’s biggest challenge, and breakthrough, is believing she is worthy: of being a role model and of being loved in the process. Under her tough, detached exterior, Sam is a goofball that wants to laugh and connect.
THE SIDEKICKS
TITO (60s, 70s) is four feet tall, with a temper to match. Head of the CIA board, he is determined to keep Christmas and the North Pole exactly the same as it’s always been. He is a judgmental, tough critic, and assumes the worst in people.
Underneath his high strung, harsh tongue, Tito just needs the right person to crack him open. Deep down, he has been the most affected by the death of Santa Claus and must learn to let go and embrace the future through his healing process.
TURTLE (30s/40s) clumsy, gullible, with an always open heart. The opposite of Tito, he embraced everyone with open arms. He’s a big kid, that doesn’t think things through quite far enough. He chooses the quick and fun route and assumes the best of people.
When Sam comes into the picture, he finally has someone to goof around with. Turtle quickly becomes the sibling Sam never has, and vice versa.
[THE MAN SHE GROWS UP HATING]
ROCKY NICKS (60s/70s)is the irresistible, silver fox Santa we never knew we needed. He’s funny, he’s charismatic, he even tan (after a long stint on a tropical island). He also doesn’t have the the pot belly, long white beard, or Miss Claus…
Ultimately, Rocky strives in competition and tires of the endless admiration he gets in the North Pole. He just wants to be treated like a normal guy and for all the elves to tell him he’s not that great.
Up until his mysterious death - Rocky is left looking for something more. And wonders what his life would have been like if he wasn’t the world’s dad - but just a regular one.
THE AUDIENCE
Primary: Families (6–14), parents, millennials (with targeting casting choices)
Secondary: Holiday theatrical audiences & global streaming viewers
This is a four-quadrant holiday tentpole with strong merchandising and franchise potential.
WHY NOW?
X-Miss satisfies audience desire for new stories and delivers a big, fresh story that can be watched + LOVED year after year.
It introduces a fresh mythology while honoring tradition — positioning it as a future holiday staple alongside the most beloved Christmas films like Elf, The Grinch, and Home Alone.
Holiday films are uniquely evergreen: there is a consistent appetite for holiday films every year and a desire to rewatch the classics every year, over and over again.
