Arnold Schwarzenegger Joins Alan Ritchson in Christmas Comedy From Amazon MGM
Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to return to the holiday genre with Amazon MGM Studios’ The Man With the Bag.
Adam Shankman is directing the family Christmas comedy that will see Schwarzenegger star alongside Alan Ritchson, whose involvement was previously announced. Allan Rice wrote the script for the movie that counts Ritchson, Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Reg Tigerman and Dan Spilo as producers.
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The Man With the Bag centers on Santa Claus learning that his magic bag has been swiped, leading Old St. Nick to team up with Vance, a reformed thief and denizen of the naughty list, to get it back. The duo also enlist Vance’s daughter and a team of misfit elves to help them save Christmas.
Schwarzenegger, who captivated Oscar viewers over the weekend by reuniting with Twins cohort Danny DeVito, stars on the Netflix action-comedy series Fubar, which is set to return for its second season. Last seen on the big screen in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, Schwarzenegger previously tackled Christmas with the 1996 family comedy Jingle All the Way that co-starred Sinbad.
Ritchson is best known for playing Jack Reacher on the Prime Video action series Reacher, with the season two finale released earlier this year. His film credits include last year’s Fast X and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which hits theaters next month from Lionsgate and also stars Henry Cavill and Eiza González.
Shankman helmed Disney+’s 2022 sequel Disenchanted, with his previous titles including What Women Want (2019), Rock of Ages (2012) and Hairspray (2007).
Amazon has previously signaled that Christmas films are a priority, with the company debuting Reginald Hudlin’s Candy Cane Lane last year that starred Eddie Murphy.
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