Anna Kendrick to play Santa Claus in latest movie gender-swap

Anna Kendrick, seen here at the 2017 Golden Globes, is preparing to play Santa. Photo/AP

First it was Ghostbusters, then Ocean's Eleven - now Santa Claus is the latest character to get a female reboot.

Anna Kendrick, best known for the Pitch Perfect franchise, has signed on for Nicole, a new Disney movie about a female Santa Claus.

The movie comes from director and writer Mark Lawrence, best known for Hugh Grant comedies Music and Lyrics and Did Your Hear About the Morgans.

Plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, but the Hollywood Reporter says it will deal with "a holiday family adventure that centers on the coming of a female Santa".

Kendrick, who received an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air, will star as the Christmas character, and may bring her vocal talents to the movie, though it won't be a musical.

Santa Claus, the modern take on the myth of Saint Nicholas, has been popularised in many films before, including Fred Claus and Disney's The Santa Clause trilogy with Tim Allen.

The female reboot has become a trend in recent years. The Expendables is also looking at swapping genders for a spinoff, currently titled The Expendebelles.

However, the movies have not gone without controversy. Ghostbusters faced immense backlash from fans in certain corners of the internet for 'ruining their childhoods' by replacing the original male cast with female comedians for the 2016 reboot.

Fans will have to wait and see if Disney will ruin their childhoods... though that probably happened anyway when they found out the truth about Santa. (Sorry kids)