David Harbour would be more than happy to reprise his role as Santa Claus in a sequel to Violent Night, and he even revealed that there had already been discussions regarding where the future of the character can go. There’s only one problem that has brought the development of the project to a full stop, and that’s the ongoing dual strike organized by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. Shortly after the film’s release last year, Violent Night‘s producers were keen to start working on the follow-up. More news arrived at the top of 2023 with the film’s director Tommy Wirkola confirming a sequel was in the works with Pat Casey and Josh Miller returning to write the script.
During the press junket for Gran Turismo, conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Harbour spoke about Santa’s story could continue as soon as studios decide to pay fair wages to their workers, effectively bringing the strike to an end. The actor explained, “Before the writers’ strike there was, you know, maybe something that came in. We’ll have to see where it fits if they can resolve all these labor issues. If the studios would please go to the table and end these labor issues, we could shoot all kinds of things I’d love to give to the people! But yes, we’re in process.”
Some of the main issues surrounding the dual strikes are the residuals actors receive from streaming services or rather lack thereof. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Netflix or a Max title, if a movie or television series is watched by millions of people, the workers behind its production receive very little compensation for the continued success of their work. In addition to that, studios have been removing content from their streaming catalogs mere months after the project’s premiere, killing any and all potential for performers to receive additional residuals—something that is vital for actors who rely upon residuals to meet the union’s healthcare minimums. Immediate change is clearly needed for the industry to become more sustainable, as the executives behind the studios receive increasingly large bonuses each year.
In Violent Night, Harbour plays a version of Santa Claus who is bored with his job because kids stopped asking for creative choices years ago. But something that would drive him away from his alcohol problems was about to take place, with Trudy (Leah Brady) needing help after her family’s holiday vacation got kidnapped by a group of mercenaries. Having to trade candy canes for guns, Santa had to become the hero that the family needed in order to save Christmas, blasting his way through evil goons in Tommy Wirkola‘s action adventure that placed Santa Claus under a whole new light.
What’s Next for David Harbour?
Before he can even start thinking about suiting up as Santa Claus once again, Harbour will return to some of his most popular roles from recent years. With the final season of Stranger Things also waiting for the dual strike to end in order to continue with their production schedule, Harbour will return to Hawkins, with Hopper having to protect Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) as the final showdown begins. On the other hand, the actor will portray the Red Guardian once again in Thunderbolts, the movie set to bring several villains from the Marvel Cinematic Universe together for a thrilling mission.
via Collider