Red One Director Says Dwayne Johnson Pic Is ‘A Little More Kick-Ass’ Than Most Christmas Films

The upcoming Christmas action comedy, Red One, promises a rocky ride for Santa Claus and several shenanigans involving Dwayne Johnson’s main character. According to director Jake Kasdan, the Amazon MGM Studios pic isn’t your typical movie for the holiday season, insisting the pic is more “kick-ass” than most.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Kasdan expressed his belief that Red One stands out more than other Christmas movies because he and his creative team made it an “epic” film and “a little more kick-ass” than previous entries. Kasdan, who shared his “love” for Christmas movies, thinks Red One contains many elements that make it edgy, yet wholesome.

“You don’t do this if you don’t love Christmas movies,” he said. “So a big part of it was trying to figure out how to bring in all of those Christmas elements, even in this slightly edgier, more aggressive kind of action-comedy and let them resonate on their own.”

You don’t do this if you don’t love Christmas movies.

Red One tells the story of J.K. Simmons’ eponymous St. Nick getting kidnapped, prompting Johnson’s character Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security, to team up with notorious bounty hunter and hacker Jack O’Malley, played by Marvel Cinematic Universe star Chris Evans, to rescue him. Kasdan built on Hiram Garcia’s original story for Red One, with Garcia’s idea being a “wild Christmas action movie that takes place partly in the world as we know it, and then partly in this mythological realm.”

Kasdan has an extensive working relationship with Johnson dating back to their time working together in the Jumanji film series. According to Kasdan, they have a mutual understanding and a shared sense of humor about their projects.

“I believe that he’s a singular film presence. And if it’s the exact right thing for him, then he’s able to do things that really nobody else can do, and you can’t picture anyone else in a part that he’s played. The Bravestone character in the Jumanji movies was like that, and in a completely different way, Cal, his character in this movie, is also like that,” he said.

Red One Was Delayed

Also starring Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt and Kiernan Shipka, Red One was initially scheduled to be a Prime Video original set for release last holiday season. However, the SAG-AFTRA strike caused Red One to delay its debut until November of this year and helped the movie land a wide theatrical premiere, with Warner Bros. distributing it internationally.

Red One comes with a heavy price tag as its reported budget is $250 million, with Johnson earning one of his largest-ever paydays from the film. The Christmas movie’s production also wasn’t smooth after the alleged unprofessional behavior from Johnson throughout, which contributed to the huge budget. Johnson produced through his Seven Bucks Productions imprint alongside Kasdan and Garcia.

Red One opens in theaters across North America on Nov. 15.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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