For several years now, Die Hard has been somewhat facetiously celebrated as a Christmas movie. And there have been all types of Die Hard variations over the years. Air Force One was “Die Hard on a plane,” whereas Snakes on a Plane was “Die Hard on a plane … with snakes.” But jolly ol’ Saint Nick has had enough of standing on the sidelines for this Christmas tradition. In Universal Pictures’ upcoming holiday flick, Violent Night, Santa Claus is going to become his own action hero.
Hellboy, Stranger Things, and Black Widow star David Harbour is headlining the cast as Santa Claus. And if the trailer is any indication, Santa is a bit over the holidays at this point. When he stumbles on to a hostage situation, Santa’s first instinct isn’t to play hero. Most of the wealthy family being held captive would probably have slots on Santa’s naughty list. But the young girl in the house is a true believer in Santa, and firmly on the nice list. So on her behalf, Santa is gonna get his hands dirty.
John Leguizamo also stars in the movie as Ben, the Hans Gruber of the group of mercenaries who planned this heist. Ben may not want to believe it, but it soon becomes clear that he and his team are up against the real Santa. And while Santa may be outgunned, he’s surprisingly adept at turning his presents into lethal instruments.
Beverly D’Angelo also stars in the film as Gertrude, with Alex Hassell as Skyler, and Alexis Louder as Margie Matthews. Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, and André Eriksen co-star as well.
Tommy Wirkola directed the movie from a script by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Fans at New York Comic Con will be able to see the world premiere of Violent Night this Friday, October 7. Everyone else will have to wait until Friday, December 2.
