The world of Hollywood and streaming services has just landed another concept so beautiful that I don’t even need to know the plot to be in. While it’s not going to be a part of the 2024 movie schedule, Amazon MGM Studios has landed both Reacher’s Alan Ritchson and action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pretty wild flick. Thankfully, we do have some preliminary details on the blockbuster endeavor. However, because of the sole knowledge that Ritchson and Schwarzenegger are attached, I really don't need anything else to convince me that this will be a must-see flick.
There's a chance you're also probably ready to see this picture without any further details. However, I think you’re going to love what Deadline’s reporting about The Man with the Bag divulges about the Jack Reacher star's new team up with the T-800 icon. The Adam Shankman-directed picture is “aiming to shoot later this year,” and it'll tell the following story:
When Santa’s magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance, a former thief, to help him get it back. Along with his daughter, Santa, and a group of misfit elves, Vance will have to pull off the greatest heist of his life to save Christmas.
Ok, so Santa and an expert thief are teaming up to steal back the magic bag that makes Christmas happen. Can’t say this plot synopsis has dissuaded me at all from wanting to see The Man with the Bag. In fact, I’m even more amped to see what is obviously a play at creating one of the best Christmas movies ever. That said, there are a couple questions I have pertaining to what exactly is going on here.
The first, and most important is, which one of these man mountains is going to be playing St. Nick? I get that the report sourced above made the natural assumption that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be Santa; but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. So there’s a chance that Alan Ritchson could be our latest incarnation of an ass-kicking Kris Kringle.
Don’t forget folks, we’re in a post-Violent Night world here, and the holiday hero isn’t limited to just delivering presents. Whichever role he plays, the Fast X baddie/Reacher hero already seems ready to deck some halls and crack some vaults. Responding tp the big news via his Instagram, Alan Ritchson simply dropped a dad joke, and walked away from it like an explosion:
This one’s gonna sleigh…
You know, you're a funny man, Mr. Ritchson. That's why I'm gonna make you open your gifts last. Seriously, pairing an action mad man like Alan with Arnold Schwarzenegger? For a holiday heist comedy? I can't be the only person excited about this, can I?
That mini-diversion actually leads to my other major question: is The Man with the Bag going to be a streaming exclusive, or is this multitude of muscles going to head to theaters? It'll probably be a while before that question is answered, especially since we might have to wait until the arrival of that other Santa movie Prime Video subscription holders are anticipating.
That's thanks to everything we know about Red One, which will feature J.K. Simmons’ second iteration of Santa and finally see the light of day this November. So, maybe if the Dwayne Johnson/Chris Evans action comedy puts up some serious numbers, it could be the key to boosting Alan Ritchson and Arnold Schwarzenegger's film into a different venue. We'll see but, regardless of how it's released, I'm so down to check this out when it becomes available.
A specific release date has yet to be announced for The Man with the Bag at this moment, but one could assume it’s aiming to impress at Christmas 2025, at the earliest. Meanwhile, you Reacher fans can dig into the two current seasons of Alan Ritchson’s bad ass antic-filled show, as they’re currently available for streaming on Prime Video.
