Alan Ritchson's New Action Movie Could Be The Next Red One
After Amazon attempted to launch a franchise with Red One, Prime Video’s next Christmas action movie will be leaning heavily on Alan Ritchson. Amazon MGM Studios has a plethora of movies they’ve produced for the holiday season across various genres. Some of these include comedies, like the Eddie Murphy-led Candy Cane Lane from 2023 and Oh. What. Fun. starring Michelle Pfeiffer in 2025. But Amazon has also been trying to make Christmas action movies a staple of its release palate. While movies like Violent Night say it’s possible, Amazon hasn’t had as much luck.
The most noteworthy attempt they made at a holiday action movie was 2024’s Red One. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security group Enforcement, Logistics, and Fortification (ELF), who is tasked with rescuing Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) after he’s kidnapped by unknown forces. He teams up with hacker and bounty hunter Jack “the Wolf” O’Malley (Chris Evans), the pair doing what they can to save Santa and Christmas. The movie was, unfortunately, a box office disappointment, grossing $186 million against a $250 million budget.
However, Red One became a streaming success after its time in theaters, quickly climbing the charts for Prime Video upon its release on the platform. While Red One earned mostly negative reviews from critics, audiences were much more receptive to the movie. It currently sits at a Verified Hot 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, Prime Video is set to release a new, Christmas-themed action movie next month, with Ritchson in the starring role.
Alan Ritchson’s New Christmas Action Movie Could Be The Next Red One
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Much like Red One was a major streaming success for Prime Video, the holidays may also afford Ritchson’s new movie, The Man with the Bag, a similar luxury. The movie stars Ritchson as Vance, a thief who is recruited by Santa Claus (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to find his bag full of presents, which were stolen by his angry elf employee Nadia Nyce (Awkwafina). Since Santa can’t do anything naughty directly, he enlists Vance’s help in pulling off a heist to get the bag back from his rogue elf.
Ritchson has already proven himself a strong presence on Prime Video thanks to his leading role in Reacher. But he’s no stranger to Prime Video original movies, either, having starred in the action comedy Playdate alongside Kevin James. It appears his new Christmas movie will have a similarly comedic tone to it, reveling in holiday highlights while also embracing a story that has plenty of unexpected heart. There will, of course, also be plenty of high-octane thrills as Vance and Santa try and get the bag back.
Why He’s The Perfect Star To Lead Prime Video’s Next Christmas Action Franchise
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Ritchson’s work with Prime Video before makes him the perfect lead for a Christmas action franchise under Amazon’s umbrella. But this is only one attribute that would make him perfect for such a franchise. For one, he’s had a diverse set of action roles in recent years, from the seasonal adventures of Reacher to the minimal dialogue of Motor City. He’s proven he can handle himself in a variety of subgenres all containing action, while The Man with the Bag will prove he’s capable of utilizing his action talents in a holiday-themed setting.
It’s possible The Man with the Bag is able to do what Red One couldn’t and open the door for a holiday-themed franchise under Amazon’s watch. Ritchson would be the perfect person to lead it thanks to his established identity as an action star, while this holiday movie could be the catalyst. With the film not arriving on Prime Video until December 2, 2026, though, there’s still plenty of time to speculate about how it can establish these ideas.
The Man with the Bag
The Man with the Bag follows Santa Claus as he seeks help from Vance, a thief, to recover his stolen magical bag. Joined by his daughter and a group of misfits, they plan a heist to reclaim the bag and rescue Christmas. Released on December 2, 2026.
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