This week we’re breaking our silence on Violent Night (2022), Tommy Wirkola’s holiday brawler starring David Harbour as a Santa who isn’t here for milk and cookies - he’s here to crack skulls. When a squad of mercenaries holds a wealthy family hostage, ol’ Saint Nick teams up with the family’s still-believing daughter to turn Christmas Eve into an all-out sleigh ride of chaos. Did this yuletide beat-down jingle our bells… or was the plot just a little too holy?

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Release Details

• Title: Violent Night

• Year: 2022

• Director: Tommy Wirkola

• Writer(s): Pat Casey & Josh Miller

• Top Billed Stars: David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Beverly D’Angelo

• Running Time: 112 minutes

• Country of Origin: United States

• Official Release Date(s):

○ World premiere: October 7, 2022 at New York Comic Con

○ U.S. theatrical release: December 2, 2022

Background & Interesting Details

• The idea for the film reportedly originated from a sketch the writers developed in high school, combining the Santa mythos with action tropes.

• The film was produced by 87North Productions (led by David Leitch) and directed by Tommy Wirkola, known for his genre-mixing style.

• Filming took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, during the harsh winter with temperatures reportedly plunging.

• The tone draws heavily from films like Die Hard and Home Alone: the writers said they wanted to explore the “booby-trap” concept of Home Alone—but with more realistic, brutal consequences.

• The film had a budget of around $20 million and grossed approximately $76.6 million worldwide.

• A sequel, Violent Night 2, is confirmed and slated for December 4, 2026.

Other Projects (Director / Writers / Main Leads)

• Tommy Wirkola (Director): Known for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, and the Norwegian zombie comedy series Dead Snow.

• Pat Casey & Josh Miller (Writers): Previously wrote the Sonic the Hedgehog films.

• David Harbour (Lead – Santa): Known for playing Jim Hopper in Stranger Things; also starred in Black Widow.

• John Leguizamo (Lead – Mercenary Chief): Known for the “Juan-the-Bug” character in John Hancock; also voice work and comedic roles.

• Alex Hassell (Lead – family member): Appeared in series like Masters of the Universe: Revelation; stage actor background.

• Alexis Louder (Lead – family member): Emerging actress; known also for her role in Champions.

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