If you ever wanted to see Santa delivering “season’s beatings” to some bad guys, this is the movie for you.
Earlier this year, JOE took a bold swing in saying that Violent Night, a movie about an avenging Santa Claus played by Stranger Things’ David Harbour, will be the greatest movie ever made.
Now, that its trailer has been released, we are sticking by that prediction with the film’s very fun teaser managing to somehow live up to its ridiculous premise.
Essentially Die Hard but with Santa Claus in the place of John McClane, the movie takes place on Christmas Eve night and sees a group of mercenaries (led by John Leguizamo) attack the estate of a wealthy family.
However, as this is occurring, Santa stops by the family’s home to deliver presents and as such, must step in to save the day and Christmas.
As you can expect, Violent Night’s trailer is filled with some funny Christmas-centric puns (season’s beatings), as well as some surprisingly bloody violence.
Along with Harbour and Leguizamo, the cast also includes Alexis Louder (Copshop), Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation), Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Edi Patterson (Knives Out).
Meanwhile, the movie is being produced by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick (the folks behind John Wick, Bullet Train and Nobody) and is being directed by Tommy Wirkola, who previously made 2013’s quite fun Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, as well as last year’s excellent Netflix action-comedy The Trip.
Violent Night will land in Irish cinemas just in time for Christmas on 2 December. You can check out its trailer below.
Clip via Universal Pictures Ireland
Earlier in the week, JOE covered the trailers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Will Smith’s new film Emancipation in separate articles.
Meanwhile, here are some of the other big teasers that were released in the past seven days in the world of film and TV.
Aisha
Clip via Sky Ireland
Starting off with movies, writer-director Frank Berry (Michael Inside) helms this drama about a young Nigerian woman (Letitia Wright) seeking asylum in Ireland that will be available to watch in cinemas and on Sky Cinema from 17 November.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Clip via Marvel Entertainment
Letitia Wright will also appear in this sequel to Marvel movie and Oscar Best Picture nominee Black Panther that arrives in Irish cinemas on 11 November.
Causeway
Clip via A24
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a US soldier who suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to her life back home in this drama set for an Apple TV+ release on 4 November.
Falling for Christmas
Clip via Netflix
In this Netflix rom-com out on 10 November, a newly engaged and spoiled hotel heiress (Lindsay Lohan) gets into a skiing accident, suffers from total amnesia and finds herself in the care of a blue-collar lodge owner (Chord Overstreet) and his daughter in the run-up to Christmas.
Run Sweetheart Run
Clip via Prime Video
A woman (Ella Balinska) tries to get home alive after her blind date (Pilou Asbæk) turns violent in this thriller coming to Prime Video on 28 October.
Shotgun Wedding
Clip via Prime Video
Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in this rom-com action film about a couple whose extravagant destination wedding gets hijacked by criminals.
Shotgun Wedding drops on Prime Video on 27 January 2023.
Slumberland
Clip via Netflix
In this Netflix fantasy adventure out on 18 November, a young girl works with an outlaw (Jason Momoa) in the dreamworld of Slumberland in an effort to see her late father again.
The Wonder
Clip via Netflix
Sticking with Netflix, Florence Pugh stars in this drama set in 1862 Ireland as an English nurse called to examine an 11-year-old girl who claims not to have eaten for four months but remains miraculously alive and well.
Based on a novel by Emma Donoghue (Room), The Wonder will be released in Irish cinemas on 2 November before landing on the streamer on 16 November.
Blockbuster
Clip via Netflix
Moving onto TV, this new Netflix sitcom is set in the last Blockbuster Video in America and will be released by the streamer on 3 November.
The Idol
Clip via HBO
Set for a 2023 release, this new HBO series is set against the backdrop of the music industry and centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult (series co-creator The Weeknd) who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp).
The White Lotus Season 2
Clip via HBO
Last but not least, hit HBO comedy-drama The White Lotus returns for a second season in the US on 30 October.
An Irish release date has yet to be announced.
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