Christmas is about to get violent all over again. Violent Night 2 is officially a go, with a release date set, a director locked in, and David Harbour set to throw on the red suit for another round of holiday carnage.
Universal has set a U.S. release date of December 4th, 2026, placing the sequel firmly in the thick of the holiday movie season.
Returning Team Locked In
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, What Happened to Monday) is returning to helm the sequel, once again teaming up with producers Kelly McCormick and David Leitch of 87North. Screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who penned the first film, are back on scripting duties.
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Production is currently scheduled to begin in September, with filming to take place in Winnipeg, Canada.
The First Film Delivered a Bloody Holiday Hit
Released in 2022, the original Violent Night offered up a gory, darkly comedic spin on the Christmas genre. The story followed Harbour’s disillusioned, hard-drinking Santa Claus as he stumbles into a violent hostage situation on Christmas Eve. Forced to rescue a wealthy family — including a young girl played by Leah Brady — Santa draws on his brutal past as ancient Viking warrior Nicomund the Red to dispatch a group of armed criminals led by John Leguizamo’s Mr. Scrooge.
The film earned strong word-of-mouth that gave it a boost, grossing $US76 million globally on a reported $US20 million budget. It also performed decently with both critics and audiences, landing a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 74% and an audience score of 88%.
The Sequel Will Expand the World — and the Mayhem
While plot details for Violent Night 2 remain mostly under wraps, the filmmakers have offered some early teases on where the sequel may go. Speaking to Collider in December 2024, writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller – the duo who also penned the Sonic the Hedgehog movies – revealed that this new chapter will possibly broaden the scale beyond the single-location action of the first movie.
“The Violent Night movies are not as big budget as the Sonic movies, but we still want this one to feel bigger than the first one,” Miller explained. “And you don’t want Santa just trapped in a mansion again.”
Casey added that fans can expect more of Santa’s backstory to be explored this time around, particularly his life as Nicomund the Red. “We know people are hungry for more of his Viking backstory. David [Harbour] is especially excited about that stuff.” He also cheekily added that Harbour’s Santa may have to whip off that coat: “Santa’s gonna take his shirt off even more in this one. We know what the people want.”
Wirkola has previously mentioned that ideas cut from the first film due to budget — including visits to the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and Santa’s elves — may finally be incorporated into the sequel. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter back in 2022, he said: “We don’t see the North Pole, we don’t see Mrs. Claus and we don’t see the elves. There were also a few ideas that we loved in the script, but we had to cut them because we couldn’t afford to shoot them.”
Production Set for Late 2025
With the cast still coming together and a script in place, Universal is targeting a September production start as the team returns to Winnipeg to bring the next chapter of holiday chaos to life.
For now, you can mark that calendar: Violent Night 2 will be opening in U.S. cinemas on December 4th, 2026.
Here’s a look back at the trailer for the first film:
