Universal Pictures shocked audiences at CinemaCon 2026 with the debut trailer for their new film, revealing a darker side to Santa Claus, played by David Harbour, who’s now considered ‘naughty’ instead of nice.
A new trailer reveals Santa Claus grappling with a difficult past that’s led him to use his famous naughty and nice list to track down criminals. But there’s a surprising turn: Santa is now considered ‘naughty’ himself, accused of forgetting what Christmas is really about. This internal struggle quickly escalates into a physical fight when the villain, played by Jared Harris, attacks Santa – including a dramatic moment where Santa is blasted out of a skyscraper window.
The movie quickly embraces a wild, darkly funny style. It starts with Santa unexpectedly crashing into a mall and announcing he’s no longer Santa. The humor continues with a scene where someone offers him cocaine—called “nose candy” in the trailer. In a surprising conversation with a child, Santa jokes that he might be on the naughty list for “killing too many people,” but the child matter-of-factly points out that Christmas is about gifts.
The trailer then cuts to a quick series of exciting scenes showing Santa fighting back against his attackers in creative and violent ways—like using a gingerbread mold and even a pizza oven as weapons. As Santa battles on, the villain orders his team to eliminate him. Surprisingly, the trailer reveals Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus, who isn’t just Santa’s wife, but a skilled warrior herself. She joins the fight with a sword, suggesting a much bigger and more action-packed story for the next installment.
She could be just as threatening as Santa, and he even warns that Mrs. Claus might be even more dangerous than he is.
Violent Night 2 hits theaters December 4, 2026.
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2026-04-16 04:21