With the oppressive heat of summer setting in, Santa and snow isn’t really on most peoples’ minds. But Universal Pictures is hard at work on their holiday horror/thriller “Violent Night.”
The film was teased during Universal’s CinemaCon 2022 panel. The plot is described as “A group of mercenaries attack the estate of a wealthy family on Christmas Eve, and Santa must save Christmas.”
Which is an interesting twist on the typical “Santa is the villain” plotline popularized by movies like “Silent Night, Deadly Night.” Which the poster art for “Violent Night” directly references. And by “directly references” we mean it’s almost identical. But unlike “Silent Night, Deadly Night” this has some serious star power attached.
It’s directed by Tommy Wirkola who also directed “Dead Snow” and “Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead,” so it’s safe to say he already gets the horrors of winter. The script is written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller who wrote the much less gory “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) is already confirmed as Santa Claus. Comedian John Leguizamo (“The Happening”), actress Beverly D’Angelo (“National Lampoon’s Vacation”), Alex Hassell (“Cowboy Bebop”), and Alexis Louder (“The Tomorrow War”) are attached to the project. In early March, Edi Patterson (“The Righteous Gemstones”) and Cam Gigandet (“Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse”) were also confirmed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leguizamo will be playing the leader of the mercenaries. D’Angelo will be a matriarch who runs a corporation and makes her kids compete against each other for her love. Hassell will play one of D’Angelo’s adult children. While Louder will be his estranged wife who is only there so their daughter can have Christmas with both parents.
The movie is set for release on December 2nd, 2023.
