He’s played everything from gruff small-town sheriffs to a superhero. But, one of David Harbour‘s most iconic roles in recent memory is that of the ass-kicking Santa Claus in 2022’s wildly entertaining and brutal movie, Violent Night. And guess what? The rumors are true! The movie is getting a sequel!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Harbour is indeed returning to reprise his role as the bad ass Kris Kringle for Violent Night 2!
A Reunion
The team behind the original will be reuniting for the sequel. Harbour will reteam with director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) and screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Kelly McCormick and David Leitch of 87North (Nobody, John Wick) will produce the film. With the team back together, the sequel is all but guaranteed to recapture the brutal charm of the original.
A Global Sensation
The original Violent Night premiered in December 2022 and exceeded expectations at the box office, earning a substantial $76.6 million globally against a modest production budget of just $20 million.</p>
The first film starred Harbour as a drunken, disillusioned Santa Claus. And he’s ready to hang up his hat and beard for good. But his sense of heroism is dramatically stirred when a young girl’s family is taken hostage. John Leguizamo played Scrooge, the Christmas-hating leader of the mercenaries. He quickly learns that messing with Santa was a horrible idea. Acting more like John McClane or John Wick than any Santa Claus you’ve ever seen, Harbour’s Chris Kringle fought his way through the bad guys with extreme prejudice to save the little girl and her family.
What’s Next for Santa?
While much about the story of Violent Night 2 remains under wraps, director Wirkola previously hinted at sequel ideas back in 2022, including what had to be cut from the first movie.
“We don’t see the North Pole, we don’t see Mrs. Claus, and we don’t see the elves,” Wirkola teased. “There were also a few ideas that we loved in the script, but we had to cut them because we couldn’t afford to shoot them.” Sounds like we might be getting a peek into Santa’s secretive world!
</blockquote>Long before we see Harbour fighting bad guys as Santa Claus again, you’ll catch him back in the role of Jim Hopper in the highly anticipated fifth and final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things</
a>.” And if that’s not enough, Harbour can still be seen right now on the big screen as Red Guardian in Marvel’s Thunderbolts</em>. He’s also starring in Avengers: Doomsday.I’m not sure about you, but I can’t wait to unwrap the sequel! Get ready, on December 4, 2026, Santa is coming back to town, so make sure you’re not on the naughty list! Watch the original now on Prime Video, Peacock, or on VOD.
