Violent Night is among this holiday season’s distinguished offerings, a wild ride that blends action and comedy with holiday spirit. David Harbour’s Santa has packed a punch up his sleeve, and he’s no stranger to brute force when judging people on his naughty list. With a brilliant story, Harbour’s performance is getting much acclaim in the early reviews. In a new interview with Screen Rant, director Tommy Wirkola discussed how the actor was brought on board.
Violent Night sees Santa arriving in a home where a family is held hostage for their wealth by a highly skilled team of mercenaries. Initially reluctant to intervene, Santa finally decides to save the day for a little girl in the family. Harbour is quite convincing in his unusual portrayal of Saint Nick, whose actions aren’t so saintly! When probed about the decision to cast him, Wirkola revealed, “It’s a boring answer and sounds like I’m making it up, but it was one of those cases where really early on, me, producers, and the studio were [looking] through names and what agents are suggesting. And somebody said, “Oh, wait, what about David Harbour?” It was one of those moments where we just looked at each other, and it’s like, “Oh my God, he’s absolutely perfect.”
The director further revealed that Harbour was filming a Netflix movie in New Orleans when he received the script and was taken by the idea, “He read it; he loved it,” he divulged. Further adding, “I Skyped with him two days later, and he really got what the film was supposed to be, and he got the humor and the heart of it all. He was in very early on.” Wirkola said that it was Harbour’s involvement that sealed the deal. “That was kind of what solidified it for the studio. From then on, it was kind of just, “Alright, let’s get this movie made!” No wonder Harbour’s performance is being commended by critics and fans.
The feature is written by Sonic the Hedgehog writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who first conceived the idea for a Die Hard-like Christmas movie but with Santa replacing John McClane, as high school students in the 1990s. Along with Harbour, the movie stars John Leguizamo, Cam Gigandet, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Beverly D’Angelo, Leah Brady, and André Eriksen.
Violent Night premieres on December 2. You can check out the trailer below: