We've known for a while now that Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam) and Chris Evans (Avengers: Endgame) will team up for a new holiday-themed action movie, and Red One has finally begun production. This won't surprise those of you who saw the recent set photos, but we now have an official first look and casting details courtesy of Deadline.
Previously described as a globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre, specific story details remain under wraps.
However, the plot has thickened with the addition of J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Bonnie Hunt (Zootopia+) as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Based on how Johnson is decked out in the photo below, could he be playing their incredibly buff son? That snazzy red and green garb makes us think it's a very real possibility, anyway!
We'll have to wait and see for now, but he and Evans lead a cast which also includes Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and Wesley Kimmel. Johnson will reteam with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle director Jake Kasdan for Red One, while Fast & Furious veteran Chris Morgan penned the screenplay.
Talking last year, producer Hiram Garcia said the movie is "very much 'Hobbs and Shaw' meets 'Guardians of the Galaxy' meets 'Miracle on 34th Street.'" He added that, "It's going to take holiday mythology and turn it on its head. Really, it's hard to find another Christmas movie to even compare to it."
"I don't think there's ever been anything done like this in that space, which is always very appealing to us," he continued "We're really excited about it, Amazon's been great with it...our goal is, knock on wood, we're hoping to have that ready for December 2023."
Red One is expected to premiere on Prime Video sometime next year.