Violent Night director Tommy Wirkola explains how David Harbour signing on solidified the project for the studio. Violent Night is a very different kind of Christmas movie, with Santa Claus acting as an action hero. Santa fights a group of mercenaries that have attacked a wealthy family's home, where a young girl has been caught in the crossfire.

Violent Night writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller took their initial idea for an action hero, Santa, and combined it with the origins of Santa, leaning into the ties to Norse mythology and Odin. During Screen Rant's exclusive interview, Wirkola explained how they cast Harbour as Santa. He also revealed that Harbour signing on to Violent Night "solidified it for the studio."

Tommy Wirkola: It's a boring answer and sounds like I'm making it up, but it was one of those cases where really early on, me, producers, and the studio were [looking] through names and what agents are suggesting. And somebody said, "Oh, wait, what about David Harbour?" It was one of those moments where we just looked at each other, and it's like, "Oh my God, he's absolutely perfect."

We sent him the script, and he was shooting in New Orleans at the time, a Netflix film. He read it; he loved it. I Skyped with him two days later, and he really got what the film was supposed to be, and he got the humor and the heart of it all. He was in very early on. That was kind of what solidified it for the studio. From then on, it was kind of just, "Alright, let's get this movie made!"

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What Makes David Harbour A Name Studios Can Count On

David Harbour in Violent Night with sledge hammer

Although the story of Harbour's casting isn't flashy, he is perfect for the role, just as the creators expected. Wirkola's revelation that Harbour being cast as Santa cemented the studio's involvement shows how revered Harbour's acting skills are. Violent Night gives Harbour the chance to tackle comedy, action, and heart. Harbour has become a household name rising to prominence first with the popularity of Stranger Things and his portrayal of Jim Hopper, followed by his MCU debut as Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian, in Black Widow.

Harbour will reprise his MCU role in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie and complete Jim Hopper's arc with Stranger Thing's final season. Stranger Things allowed Harbour to show off his skills in genre and comedy, but especially as the heart of the show when he began sharing scenes with Millie Bobby Brown. His chemistry with the young actress brings out the heart of both their characters and proves he can carry that emotional heart through a wild genre-based story. Black Widow showed off his action and comedy chops, which are equally important in Violent Night.

Violent Night is not the standard Christmas movie, combining the genre with action and black comedy. This novel approach could have caused some nerves for the studio until Harbour’s involvement changed their minds. Harbour's passion for Violent Night is evident given the research he did into the history of Santa Claus throughout different cultures. Given Harbour's impressive resume, his multifaceted acting skills, and his early interest in the project, it makes sense that Universal would feel more confident after he joined the project. Harbour's star power combined with the writers of the wildly successful Sonic The Hedgehog could definitely be seen as a winning combination.

Next: Violent Night Early Reviews Praise Killer Santa Action Movie

Violent Night hits theaters on December 2.