Tommy Wirkola introduced audiences to a very different version of Santa Claus in 2022’s Violent Night, which showcased a take-no-nonsense Santa played by David Harbour. Not only did Santa have magical abilities, but he also had a knack for taking out bad people in brutal fashion, though always with a holiday twist. Now the film is getting an anticipated sequel in Violent Night 2, and not only is Harbour’s Santa returning, but the new footage at CinemaCon gave fans their first look at Kristen Bell’s Mrs. Claus.
The Violent Night 2 footage begins with a reference to “Big Nick Energy”, and then we learn that the crux of the story this time around is that Santa finds himself on his own Naughty list. The reason is that he’s forgotten the meaning of Christmas, but that doesn’t keep him from taking out some people soon after, including one sequence where he’s punching people with Cookie Cutter Brass Knuckles. We then see our first glimpse at Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus, though she isn’t the only new character that shows up in the footage.
Bell’s Mrs. Claus is easily one of the biggest new additions, and we’re excited to see Harbour and Bell share the screen as the iconic Christmas couple. Bell isn’t the only new face joining the franchise, though, as AEW star MJF is also part of the film, and was seen in the new CinemaCon footage.
While Harbour’s hard-hitting Santa is back in action for the sequel, this time around, the film’s inspiration is switching things up, and it will likely extend to the action itself and the overall vibe. That’s because while the first film was inspired by films like Die Hard, Violent Night 2 will instead be more inspired by classic Westerns, though with an R-Rated edge, of course.
Once you work in the involvement of Mrs. Claus and the premise of Santa attempting to find that Christmas spirit again, it certainly creates the opportunity for a fun follow-up to one of the true sleeper hits of 2022, and thankfully, fans won’t have to wait all that long to watch it on the big screen.
Violent Night 2 releases in theaters on December 4, 2026.
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