Tommy Wirkola Directs Christmas Action Sequel ‘Violent Night 2’ Coming 2026

by Annika June 11, 2025

Tommy Wirkola returns to direct “Violent Night 2”, the sequel to 2022’s Christmas-themed action flick. The studio confirms the movie will be unwrapped on Dec. 4, 2026, with David Harbour reprising his role as a troubled Santa Claus. The sequel’s storyline and additional characters remain unconfirmed, as Universal now plans for a September start of production in Winnipeg.

Tommy Wirkola Directs Christmas Action Sequel ‘Violent Night 2’ Coming 2026

– Director Tommy Wirkola returns for the sequel to the 2022 Christmas-themed action movie ‘Violent Night’, with an anticipated release date of December 4, 2026.
– The sequel is expected to resume production in Winnipeg in September, with David Harbour reprising his role as Santa Claus and it remains to be seen whether Mrs. Claus will be included in the storyline.
– The first film was a financial success, earning the studio $50 million domestically on a $20 million budget and a further $25.9 million from international markets.

Sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Tommy Wirkola is on board once again for the sequel to the 2022 Christmas action movie, Violent Night 2. The studio has scheduled the release date of the sequel for Dec. 4, 2026.

Actor David Harbour reprises his role as the grim, icepick-wielding, skate-slicing Santa Claus. In the original film, Harbour’s Santa was on a downward spiral filled with bitterness and alcoholism, only to have his perspective on the holiday season changed by a little girl.

The continuation of his clarity into the upcoming sequel is still undetermined. There is also speculation that Mrs. Claus, who was mentioned in passing during the first film, might be part of the new narrative. Production is set to commence in September in Winnipeg, Canada.

The producing duo, Kelly McCormick and David Leitch of 87North, will return to helm production along with scriptwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller.

The first Violent Night movie was a box office success, yielding a total of $50 million in domestic revenue on a budget of roughly $20 million. International markets added another $25.9 million to the movie’s earnings.

Before Violent Night, Wirkola garnered acclaim with films such as the Norwegian horror spectacle Dead Snow and the romantic action comedy, The Trip.

In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wirkola shared plans about the sequel, which could potentially include elements that didn’t make it into the first film due to budget constraints. He remarked, “We missed showing the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and the elves in the first film. There were some fantastic ideas in the script that, sadly, had to be omitted because of financial limitations.”