Violent Night Writers Want "Lots of Sequels"

By Adam Barnhardt

It's not easy finding your way into the pantheon of Christmas classics, but thanks to the rising popularity of action flicks like the John Wicks and Nobodys of the world, David Harbour's Violent Night became an instant classic for many. The movie has been a hit with critics and audiences alike, tallying around $47 million at the global box office—a surprisingly sizable holiday haul for the R-rated dark comedy crime thriller. Suffice to say, screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller are leaping at the chance for more movies set in the franchise.

"We're all hoping we get lots of sequels. We're hoping we can baby step into crazier and crazier things," Miller said in a recent chat with SYFY Wire. "Based on reactions to the first movie on Twitter and stuff, we see a lot of people wanting to know more about Santa's backstory. So it does feel like there's an appetite for more of that tale to be told."

As seen in two very brief shots in the movie, Harbour's Kris Kringle spent time as a lethal Norseman at some point in the past, though it's never address in-depth in the movie.

"We used to have more of his backstory in the first one and that got stripped out for pacing," Miller added. "I guess it'll be a bummer if we never get a sequel, but part of us was was kind of happy because that just leaves more stuff to do in sequels. One thing we've learned from the Sonic movies is [that] sometimes painting yourself into a corner for the sequel sucks. Because you're like, 'Oh, man! I wish we hadn't said that one sentence in the earlier movie!'"

Whatever the case, both Miller and Casey are well-aware of the desire for more mid-budget, action-packed movies whether its set during the holidays or not.

"There's obviously room for all sorts of stuff. But the fact that our producers are [David Leitch's] 87North and their specialty is all these drag-out, bone crunching fights, the impulses is to continue with Santa kicking the asses of a bunch of stuntmen rather than like fighting a monster necessarily," Casey added.

Violent Night is now showing exclusively in theaters.

What'd you think of the new Christmastime fare? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

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