Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson’s long-awaited team-up will unexpectedly be happening in this upcoming Christmas action comedy.

SUMMARY

 Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson are set to star in a new Christmas comedy, The Man With the Bag .
 The film combines the action and comedy genres, the latter of which is a departure for both actors.
 The duo’s action experience could bring fresh energy to the Christmas movie genre.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson are finally teaming up, though not in the way audiences would have initially expected them to come together. Schwarzenegger and Ritchson are set to star in Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Christmas film The Man With the Bag. The comedy marks Schwarzenegger’s return to film after five years when he starred in Terminator: Dark Fate.

The Man With the Bag follows Santa Claus, who discovers his magic sack has been stolen. In order to find it and procure it before Christmas, he enlists the help of Vance, a thief and longtime member of the naughty list. With Vance’s daughter and a few misfit elves assisting, the unlikely duo must pull off a wild heist to save Christmas before it is too late.

Arnold Schwarzenegger & Alan Ritchson Making A Christmas Movie Is Very Unexpected

While audiences have been wanting to see Schwarzenegger and Ritchson work together on a film, the fact that it is a Christmas comedy is unexpected. Schwarzenegger usually stays in the action movie sphere, his titular role in the Terminator franchise being one of his most iconic.

It is also a surprising choice considering Schwarzenegger’s absence from the big screen in recent years. Ritchson, meanwhile, has also focused on action titles, such as his role as the titular character in the series Reacher. Having these two stars in a Christmas comedy, therefore, goes against type but could be an interesting shift.

Arnold Schwarzenegger & Alan Ritchson’s Christmas Movie Makes Their Team-Up Even Better

Though not expected, the film does offer fans of both stars a dream team-up as well as an opportunity to see their versatility as actors. Schwarzenegger’s notoriety as both an actor and bodybuilder compliments Ritchson’s own physical prowess.

Schwarzenegger’s time in the action comedy series FUBAR also proves he is not a stranger to mixing the two genres. Therefore, putting them into a comedic situation that still plays into their action experience could be an interesting spin on the Christmas genre, which has already been actively evolving.

Some Christmas films have tapped into action and heist tropes over the years, such as Violent Night, so the audience is there. Additionally, Schwarzenegger has one Christmas film already under his belt: 1996’s Jingle All the Way.

The opportunity to see a legendary action star with a contemporary equivalent is hard to pass up and could give both Schwarzenegger and Ritchson a chance to play with audience expectations. Many viewers probably expected the two to star in a more conventional action movie, and the surprising nature of their choice could propel The Man With the Bag to success.