Universal has announced (via The Hollywood Reporter) that they will be releasing a “coal dark holiday thriller” titled Violent Night on December 2, 2022. They didn’t reveal many details about the project beyond that, but what they did reveal was still enough to catch attention and stir up interest, starting with the fact that Violent Night is going to star David Harbour (Stranger Things) and will be directed by Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Dead Snow).
The screenplay for the film comes from the writing duo of Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who recently had some major success with their adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. They have some horror on their filmographies as well, including writing episodes of the Blumhouse / YouTube Red series 12 Deadly Days and the School Spirit entry in the Blumhouse / Hulu series Into the Dark. Plot details on their Violent Night script are, of course, being kept under wraps.
Violent Night is being produced by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick of 87North Productions. Leitch is best known for co-directing the first John Wick movie (although he wasn’t credited as co-director), and has since followed that up by directing Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
So while this project is currently shrouded in mystery, knowing that it’s going to star David Harbour, is being directed by Tommy Wirkola from a script by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, and is being produced by David Leitch is enough to convince me that this is going to be something worth keeping an eye on.
We’ll keep you updated on Violent Night as more information is revealed while it makes its way toward its December 2022 release date.
Harbour’s previous acting credits include Quantum of Solace, Revolutionary Road, The Green Hornet, The Equalizer, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Black Mass, Hellboy, and Black Widow.