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“It was the easiest pitch ever,” Peter Farrelly said in a Zoom interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “’Snakes on a Plane’ was easy. … But getting it right was difficult.”

Since this is a children’s film, Black’s character is more mischievous and silly than evil.

“Jack was the first one we sent it to,” Bobby Farrelly told the AJC over Zoom. “Luckily he sent it back and said, ‘I was born to play this role.’ He was right. He looks like this. He has a bit of a dark side, but in a playful way. He’s the perfect guy for the role so it doesn’t get too dark.”

For example, when a teacher bullies Liam, Satan causes the teacher a terrible digestive problem, which is purely comical and childish and not remotely grotesque.

“We wanted this devil to be some kind of ‘Damn Yankees’ devil,” said his brother Peter. “This isn’t ‘The Exorcist.’ It should be light-hearted and family-oriented.”

And Liam himself is just a nice boy with a real moral code, so he resists the devil’s temptations.

Smith, the actor, “has this innate likeability,” Bobby said.

“It’s not a typical child role,” Peter added. “We wanted him to hold back in the style of Albert Brooks. It’s hard to deliver.”

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Jack Black (left) and Robert Timothy Smith star "Dear Santa Claus" on Paramount+. (Courtesy of Paramount+)

Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

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Photo credit: Jessica Miglio

The conceit also involves Liam wooing his crush by inviting her to a concert. The brothers needed a big name and tracked down Post Malone.

“He agreed, which was a big surprise to us because these stars are so busy,” Bobby said. “When he came, it was a home run for us. He was the perfect guy for this role. He was super nice. He really delivered. He put his energy into it. We played beer pong with him. It was fun.”

The concert took place in Duluth at Gas South’s 700-seat theater (not the arena). “We had to make it look bigger,” Bobby said.

The Farrelly brothers previously filmed three other films in Atlanta: “Hall Pass,” “Three Stooges” and “Dumb and Dumber To.”

“Great crews,” Bobby said. “It’s fun there.”

“I did two films back to back in Australia because of the tax credits,” Peter said. “I’d rather be in Atlanta.”

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The film was largely shot in the spring of 2023, when temperatures could rise into the 80s.

“It’s not perfect for a Christmas movie,” Bobby noted.

Dozens of Christmas films are released every year. Only a handful become like “A Christmas Story” and “Elf” and become legendary.

“There’s no pressure,” Peter said. “We want to entertain people. When we made “Dumb and Dumber,” we didn’t think it would still exist. It happens or it doesn’t.”

IF YOU WATCH

“Dear Santa” on Paramount+

On By Oliver Sinclair

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