Actor David Harbour just posted a photo of himself with Santa Claus on Instagram, triggering an avalanche of comments about his Christmas movie Violent Night. The actor starred in the holiday action-comedy back in 2022, and it was an instant cult classic. A sequel has been in development ever since, but this photo was a clear sign of progress as Harbour was holding a script titled Violent Night 2 in his hand.
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“Merry Xmas, ya filthy animals,” Harbour captioned his new post. It showed him sitting by a fireplace surrounded by Christmas decor and accompanied by Santa Claus. Harbour was wearing a Santa hat, and he held a script out so that the title was easy for fans to read. He also tagged the production company 87North in the post. It was a subtle way to reveal how far along the movie is, as previous updates have not been clear about the progress on the script.
Harbour plays Santa Claus himself in Violent Night, but not like you’ve ever seen him before. The movie finds Saint Nick sliding down the chimney into a wealthy home where the occupants have been taken hostage by mercenaries. It’s up to Kris Kringle to save them, and he doesn’t hold back.
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The sequel comes from writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller — the same duo behind the first movie — and Tommy Wirkola returns to direct as well. Production is expected to begin in early 2025. Wirkola gave fans an idea of where the story was going in an interview with Bloody Disgusting.
“There’s stuff we left on the floor like the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, the elves,” he said. “But story-wise, I think we have a really, really cool idea that expands on the world and scope but still keeping that tone that we love from the first one.”
2025 is shaping up to be a huge year for Harbour. He will reprise his role as Jim Hopper for the final season of Stranger Things, and will take a bigger role than ever in the MCU as the Red Guardian, appearing in Thunderbolts and in the animated series Marvel Zombies. Harbour has two other movies slated for release next year, and two other upcoming TV series on his IMDb page. If Violent Night 2 is turned around quickly, it may close out Harbour’s 2025 with a bang.
Violent Night is streaming now on Starz. It is also available to rent or purchase on PVOD stores like Prime Video.
