After a modest opening at the box office and a relatively positive critical response to Violent nightit was confirmed that a sequel, Violent Night 2 is on the way. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, David Harbor's low-budget project finds a band of mercenaries battling Santa Claus (Harbour) when they take a wealthy family hostage. With its tongue-in-cheek action and abundant references to Christmas movies past, Violent night provided a whole new experience that still brings a lot of holiday fun.
From a narrative perspective, the relatively independent story of Violent night gives the sequel plenty of creative wiggle room. Given that David Harbor's Santa Claus was resurrected and survived the bloody denouement, the holiday antihero will be back in action, although he may be the only one to return. The first film killed off many of its main characters, which requires a fresh start in the sequel. Thanks to the plot points set in motion in Violent nightthere are several ways to Violent Night 2 could work.
Violent Night 2 Latest News
A script update is revealed
With things finally starting to ramp up for the holiday action film, the latest news comes in the form of a script update for Violent Night 2. Pat Casey and Josh Miller are writing the script for the sequel and have revealed that things are about to take the next step. Explaining this the first draft is due soon, the duo is working hard to deliver the first pass before the deadline. Even promoting his recent box office success, Sonic the Hedgehog 3the writers took the time to spread the twisted story of Santa Claus.
Read their comments here:
Josh Miller: We're almost trying to release a draft, so we're well underway. A little upsetting to have Sonic 3 coming out at the same time as our deadline, but I guess there are problems with champagne. [Laughs]
Pat Casey: Yes, once we get out of this morning's interviews we'll be back in the salt mines of Violent Night 2, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I wish we had a date to announce, but we don't yet. But everyone really wants this to happen, so we hope we have more solid information soon. But it's a little difficult to schedule around David Harbor these days because he's a busy man with a few other giant mega franchises that unfortunately seem to take scheduling priority over us for some inexplicable reason.
Violent Night 2 is confirmed
The project was announced in 2023
this would allow the script to be perfectly fine-tuned, something a low-budget film really needs to be successful.
Although the film was a moderate box office success and performed modestly with critics, there was no guarantee that Violent night someday there would be a sequel. While there were some speculative teases in the interim, it wasn't until January 2023 that Violent Night 2 has been confirmed as in development (through The wrap). Since then, few updates have emerged, but the project is still ongoing. In March 2024, it was revealed that filming was planned for early 2025, but it appears those plans fell through.
David Harbor is an in-demand actor in Hollywood and previous commitments can deviate Violent Night 2 for some time. However, this would allow the script to be perfectly fine-tuned, something a low-budget film really needs to be successful. As it stands now, no release schedule is known and it likely won't arrive for some time. Even though the film begins filming in 2025, it's uncertain whether it will arrive in time for the holiday season that year.
David Harbor's projects since Violent night include:
|
Project |
Year of release |
Rotten Tomatoes score |
|---|---|---|
|
We have a ghost |
2023 |
43% |
|
Grand Tourism |
2023 |
65% |
|
Creature Commands |
2024 |
94% |
|
Zoopocalypse Night |
2025 |
N/A |
Violent Night 2 cast details
David Harbor's Santa Claus Will Return
As it is now, the only cast member associated with the sequel is David Harbor as the bloodied vigilante Santa Claus Noel in which viewers met Violent night. Most of the main characters from the first film died, and that means a return is unlikely. Additionally, Santa's anti-hero status means he likely won't team up with any of the film's survivors. Violent night. Instead of, the sequence could feature other figures from Santa Claus lore, such as Mrs. Claus, elves and others. However, until more information is available, the cast is pure speculation.
Violent Night 2 Story Details
The sequel could explore Santa's lore more
Although it is unlikely that Violent Night 2 will repeat the independent film of the first film Die Hardstyle plot, there are many possible options for the sequel to explore. Given that the first film established that Santa Claus is real without showing many of the other tropes associated with his lore (like elves or the North Pole), Violent Night 2 could very well delve deeper into the character's backstory. Maybe trouble comes to Santa this time, and he must defend his workshop from some evil force.
An additional consideration is that now that David Harbor's Santa Claus is firmly established as a successful vigilante after the Violent night ending, a sequel could see him dishing out a now-familiar brand of festive justice. The world could change after the revelation that Santa Claus is real, and it could have a profound effect on your life. Whatever happens in Violent Night 2 it will need to be bigger and more explosive to surpass its predecessor.