There have been countless film versions of Santa Claus. From the loveable grandfather figure of Richard Attenborough’s Santa in Miracle on 34th Street to the reluctant put-upon and wise-cracking toy executive Scott Calvin in the Tim Allen-led Santa Clause franchise (now a Disney+ limited series), there is no shortage of different interpretations of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas in movies. In recent years, the in-vogue depiction seems to be of a tough, ass-kicking Santa, like the one depicted in this year’s holiday season beatings delivering Violent Night. Well, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson just teased the next action movie version of Father Christmas, and a ripped J.K Simmons is playing him.
The Rock knows how to use his social media to get fans excited about his upcoming projects. This is precisely what the actor did when he shared images on his Instagram of him and Simmons on the set of their forthcoming Christmas action-adventure movie, Red One. The photos show how jacked the 67-year-old J. Jonah Jameson actor has gotten for his take on Kris Kringle. The first image shows a very stern and concerned-looking Santa, and the other two are a bit more laid back while giving us a look at just how strong this take on the present-giving head elf is.
We should not expect rosy cheeks or a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly from this Santa.
It was reported at the beginning of the year that Red One would star Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans–who was the first to share images of the two in costume and on set for their holiday-themed outing.
Red One is set to debut on Prime video in 2023. But beyond that, there’s not much that we know about the movie. Johnson’s producing partner Hiram Garcia has compared the film to Guardians of the Galaxy or Hobbs & Shaw and also described it as “a globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy, imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.” So it could be something of an action comedy and the beginning of a holiday film action series. The Christmas movie will also see Johnson reteaming with his Jumanji franchise director, Jake Kasdan.
Red One will not be J.K. Simmons’ first time playing Santa Claus. The actor provided the voice of Santa in the animated Netflix movie Klaus. Although Simmons’ live-action Santa Claus looks to be a more intimidating take on the beloved character, maybe that’s not so shocking because we have all seen the actor be intimidating even when he isn’t ripped. Whiplash anyone? I still get tingles up my spine when I think of him asking whether Miles Teller is “rushing or dragging.”
Amazon doesn’t have a specific 2023 release date set for Red One yet, but we’ll pass that information along when it comes. In the meantime, look at the best Amazon movies streaming right now. Fans of J.K. Simmons might also be interested in our list of 10 great J.K. Simmons movies and shows and how you can watch them.