CinemaCon is the gift that keeps on giving, as a surprising thriller movie that was on no one’s radar has suddenly grabbed every adrenaline enthusiast’s attention. Violent Night, an action movie starring David Harbour of Stranger Things fame, was introduced and may just be, according to Harbour, the next Die Hard.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow), Violent Night follows a family who is kidnapped by mercenaries on Christmas Eve – causing Santa Claus (Harbour) to come to their rescue. The upcoming film also stars the likes of John Leguizamo, Beverly D’Angelo, Alex Hassell, and Edi Patterson. During the Universal Pictures panel at CinemaCon (via Comicbook.com), Harbour enthusiastically introduced the film, comparing the upcoming flick to the hit 1988 movie starring Bruce Willis – Die Hard.
“Escape is great. I’m a big fan. But what about movies that make you sweat?” Harbour said. “Don’t you love action movies? 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. Fucking Die Hard.”
“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 fucking Santa Claus? Oh, do I swing a mother fucking hammer?”
“Yes. What you’re about to see is not an actual trailer, I don’t think, but you better not cry to somebodyy,” he says. “You better not pout. I’m telling you why. Because Santa Claus is coming to town. Let’s fucking go.”
In the 80s movie Die Hard, police officer John McClane tries to save his wife after German terrorists take her hostage during a Christmas party. Although Willis isn’t Santa Claus in the film, the rescue storyline feels familiar to Violent Night’s plot synopsis.
From Harbour’s words, it appears that Violent Night is gunning for the same Christmas movie acclaim as McClane’s debut feature. However, only time will tell if it can cement its place as a holiday classic too.