Violent Night

Violent Night is a 2022 American Christmas action crime comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller.

In Greenwich, Connecticut, Jason Lightstone and his estranged wife Linda take their daughter Trudy to his mother, Gertrude's, mansion for a Christmas gathering.

Other family members at the gathering are Jason's sister Alva, her boyfriend Morgan Steel, and her son Bert.

Meanwhile, a drunk Santa Claus arrives at the estate, just as a group of mercenaries with holiday codenames, led by "Mr. Scrooge", raid the house and take the family hostage.

Stranded, Santa resolves to rescue Trudy and her family from Scrooge, who wants $300 million cash hidden in a vault in the mansion.

In a mid-credits scene, Bert vlogs next to a dead mercenary, telling his viewers that Santa is real and warning them to behave during Christmas.

In March 2020, Universal Pictures announced that it acquired the original screenplay to Violent Night by Pat Casey and Josh Miller and that 87North Productions would produce.

[8] Wirkola was hired to direct after he sent an early cut of his prior film The Trip to producers at 87North, and after enjoying it, they sent him the Violent Night script.

[9] In early 2022, John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, and André Eriksen were confirmed to star.

The website's critics consensus reads "Violent Night isn't as wildly entertaining as its concept might suggest, but for those seeking harder-edged holiday fare, it may be a ho-ho-whole lot of fun.

"[22] Syfy wrote that "critics hail what might be a new holiday classic that more than earns its R-rating by turning every conceivable Christmas item into a deadly weapon" and that Harbour "steals the show".

[26] In December of the same year, Wirkola confirmed that there have been ongoing discussions between him and the writers, with potential for Mrs. Claus, the North Pole, and the elves factoring into the story.

[27] Later that month, producer Kelly McCormick confirmed that all creatives involved intended to make a sequel with work on the project commencing in "the next few weeks".