Black Widow star David Harbour will soon put some of his superhero skills to use in the upcoming Violent Night, with the actor now discussing what it’s like to bring to life a savage version of Santa Claus. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Harbour offered a few more details about his take on Santa, revealing that the ultra-violence will evolve organically from what we all know and love about the iconic figure.
“We all sit around and tell our kids that some big, fat, jolly guy with a red suit comes down the chimney, eats some cookies and gives you a present, but who is that guy? How’s he getting into your house? What’s he really up to? So, on the surface, sure, I start with the same old, 'He shouldn’t be stabbing people with a candy cane. This is incongruous.' But then when you really start to get down to the marrow and the core of who this individual was, it makes complete sense.”
It certainly sounds like Harbour has put a lot of thought into his savage Santa, with the actor having previously likened the Violent Night character to one of the action genre’s greats: Die Hard’s John McClane. “Who doesn't love a great action movie, right? How about Christmas movies? So, what about a movie that's a great action movie, and the greatest Christmas movie in one? Die Hard. F-cking Die Hard,” Harbour said while appearing at CinemaCon.
“Now what if...wait a minute, wait a minute. What if kick-ass director Tommy Wirkola and the badass producers at 87North, you know, the maniacs who did Atomic Blonde and John Wick and Nobody and Hobbs and Shaw, were behind it all?” he continued. “And, wait a minute, what if I started in it as f-cking Santa Claus? Oh, do I swing a mother f-cking hammer? Yes. What you're about to see is not an actual trailer, I don't think, but you better not cry to somebody. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Because Santa Claus is coming to town. Let's f-cking go.”
Violent Night Looks Like the Perfect Holiday Gift
Violent Night introduces David Harbour’s not-so-jolly Saint Nick during a tough Christmas Eve. The unorthodox Christmas movie finds Harbour’s Santa reaching into his sack and bringing out the big guns in Violent Night after a team of elite mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage. But the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.
From the creators of John Wick, Violent Night is directed by Tommy Wirkola (The Trip, Dead Snow) from an original screenplay written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Violent Night stars John Leguizamo (Encanto, John Wick: Chapter 2), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's Vacation, Vacation), Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Alexis Louder (Copshop), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Cam Gigandet (Twilight, Without Remorse), and André Eriksen (Vikings) alongside David Harbour as Santa Claus.
Violent Night is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 2, 2022, by Universal Pictures.