New photos from the holiday action-comedy Red One show off J.K. Simmons' Santa and Dwayne Johnson pumping iron at the North Pole. The film, which is currently in production with director Jake Kasdan at the helm and an eye toward a 2023 release, is an alternative take on the mythology of Christmas. In addition to Simmons and Johnson, it stars Chris Evans, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Liu, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, and Kristofer Hivju.
On his official Instagram account, Johnson shared a new collection of images from the set of Red One. The three images show the actor and Simmons - still in his Justice League shape - working out at a gym in the North Pole, complete with a red and white striped candy cane barbell. Along with the images, Johnson included a caption that calls his co-star the "the coolest, strongest, kindest, most bad ass, most loving & most OG Santa Claus of all time" and calling their location a North Swole Iron Paradise. Check out the images below:
JK Simmons is One of a Long Line of Alternative Santas
Alternative Santas have been a part of the pop culture landscape for almost as long as the modern interpretation of Santa Claus. In an evolution leading straight to David Harbour's Violent Night, horror films especially have embraced the idea, presenting a variety of killer Santas over the years. From 1972's Tales from the Crypt to 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night to 2005's Santa's Slay, the idea that the jolly old elf's red suit might be covered in blood has been explored from almost every angle.
However, while details on J.K. Simmons' iteration of Santa are still being kept mostly under wraps, it seems that he will be operating in a slightly different vein than the aforementioned horror Santas. Most likely he will be operating in the "bad Santa" vein of the appropriately titled R-rated comedy Bad Santa starring Billy Bob Thornton. These foul-mouthed or otherwise disaffected Santas have been cropping up more and more recently, including Kurt Russell's stint in the role in Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles and its sequel.
Simmons' muscular frame already separates him from the typical depiction of Santa as having a belly like a bowlful of jelly. However, he will likely be the source of plenty of vulgar quips and bloody action moments over the course of the story of Red One. Exactly how he plays into the plot is still unknown, but behind-the-scenes photos have revealed him in multiple locations, including a crowded shopping mall, so it seems that he be featured heavily, playing off of Johnson in full Red Notice action-comedy mode.
Source: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram