Brian Cox and Jodie Whittaker to star in Netflix festive film That Christmas

Brian Cox and Jodie Whittaker are to star in festive film 'That Christmas'.

The 'Succession' star will lend his voice to the role of Santa in the upcoming Netflix animated movie, which has been penned by Love Actually's Richard Curtis and is based on his book of the same name.

The forthcoming film will be Curtis' first animation project and it will be a directorial debut for Simon Otto, who was the Head of Character Animation on 'How to Train Your Dragon'.

Curtis said: "This has been the most amazing adventure, my first animated film.

"It’s been especially exciting to see the whole world I imagined come to life beyond my wildest dreams - and populated by a dream bunch of actors, their wonderful voices turned into such rich and funny characters."

Former 'Doctor Who' actress Whittaker, Bill Nighy, and Fiona Shaw will voice residents of a charming seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas.

Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry, Ava Talbot, and Rhys Darby will also star in the movie.

Otto added: "Becoming an animator had been on my Christmas wish list ever since I was a child and watching animated movies was one of the biggest Christmas traditions in my family.

"But never could I have imagined that one day I would get the chance to direct a Christmas film written by the one-and-only Richard Curtis and collaborate with some of the most iconic voice talents.

"Watching this cast bring life to these heart-warmingly funny tales and infuse them with the magic of animation is truly a dream come true.

"I hope 'That Christmas' becomes a cherished tradition for audiences worldwide."

© BANG Media International