Two action stars and a partridge in a pear tree…

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures; Amazon)

Arnold Schwarzenegger, perhaps the biggest action star of all time, and Alan Ritchson, who has been on quite a roll as of late with Reacher and his Fast X performance, will soon team up for a family-friendly Christmas action comedy called The Man with the Bag. And, based on what we know so far, this is something fans of Christmas movies and great action films alike will enjoy when it’s eventually released.

Though this is a movie that pretty much sells itself without having to know anything besides the fact that Schwarzenegger and Ritchson will team up at some point, it might be best to go into everything we do know about The Man with the Bag at this time. From its cast to its premise and the creative team working behind the scenes, here’s the scoop on what could be the next great Christmas action movie.

WHAT IS THE MAN WITH THE BAG RELEASE DATE?

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

We don’t yet know when The Man with the Bag will be released, as Amazon MGM Studios only announced the project in March 2024.

Considering the film hasn’t entered production at the time of this writing (more on that in a bit) and the fact that Amazon already has another Christmas-centric action movie in the works with the upcoming Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, and J.K. Simmons slated for release this holiday season, there might be a chance we don’t see Arnold Schwarzenneger and Alan Ritchson team up until some point in 2025.

HOW CAN YOU WATCH THE MAN WITH THE BAG?

(Image credit: Amazon)
Amazon MGM Studios has not yet announced how audiences will be able to watch The Man with the Bag when it is eventually released. In the past, several of the studio’s movies have hit theaters before becoming available to anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription, while others have debuted on the streaming service and skipped a theatrical roll-out entirely. However, we can expect to hear more about the release model in the months to come, especially when we get closer to its debut.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENNEGER AND ALAN RITCHSON LEAD THE MAN WITH THE BAG CAST

(Image credit: Amazon Studios / Paramount Studios)
When Deadline first reported on Amazon MGM Studios giving The Man with the Bag the greenlight in March 2024, the outlet revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson would be leading its cast.

Though it was announced at the time that the movie would follow Santa Claus as he teams up with a former thief, it wasn’t noted whether or not Schwarzenegger would be playing “Old St. Nick” and Ritchson the thief.

That will most likely end up being the case, but it would be hilarious for the roles to be reversed and for the younger action star to take on Kris Kringle while the Hollywood legend plays a thief.

This will be Schwarzenegger’s first time appearing in a holiday comedy since he led Jingle All the Way with Sinbad back in 1996, which some consider a top-tier Christmas movie all these years later.

However, this will be the first time Ritchson has popped up in a Christmas film.

THE MAN WITH THE BAG FOLLOWS SANTA AS HE ENLISTS A FORMER THIEF TO HELP HIM FIND HIS STOLEN MAGIC BAG

(Image credit: Netflix)
We’ve seen Santa Claus team up with all sorts of people over the years to make sure kids around the world have presents under their tree and don’t lose the Christmas spirit, and that will once again be the case with The Man with the Bag.

According to the story synopsis shared by Deadline, the film will follow Santa as he works with Vance, a former thief on his naughty list, his daughter, and a group of misfit elves to find and retrieve his stolen magic bag to save Christmas.

DISENCHANTED DIRECTOR ADAM SHANKMAN WILL HELM THE MAN WITH THE BAG

(Image credit: Disney)
In addition to featuring the on-screen work of two great action stars, The Man with the Bag will have some great talent behind the screen as well.

Adam Shankman, whose list of credits includes Disenchanted, Rock of Ages, The Wedding Planner, and the 2007 Hairspray remake, will be helming the project. Shankman also sat behind the camera for the 2005 Vin Diesel movie, The Pacifier, one of the best movies pairing action stars with kids.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Man with the Bag was written by Allan Rice, whose previous credits include TV shows like The New Adventures of Old Christine, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Stuck in the Middle, and most recently, Call Your Mother. This will be Rice’s first feature film.

PRODUCTION COULD GET UNDERWAY LATER IN 2024

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)
When Deadline first reported on The Man with the Bag, the outlet stated that production was aiming to get underway at some point later in 2024. With filming on the highly-anticipated Reacher Season 3 being underway earlier in the year, it’s hard to say exactly when cameras will finally start rolling on the latest Amazon MGM Studios project.

If this ends up being a massive action comedy, then we can expect an extensive shoot and a decent amount of post-production work, which could mean this is something we don’t see until the 2025 holiday season. Expect to learn more about this in the coming weeks and months.

IT WOULDN’T BE SURPRISING IF THE MAN WITH THE BAG HAS A PG RATING

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
Unlike more intense holiday offerings like Violent Night and Christmas-based horror movies, The Man with the Bag will most likely end up having a PG rating by the time of its release.

We don’t know for sure, but it’s hard to imagine a family-friendly action movie where Santa teams up with a reformed thief and his daughter to save Christmas for children around the world being rated R. Add in director Adam Shankman’s previous work – he’s made several Disney movies over the years – and you have yourself a recipe for a wholesome and light PG movie.

We should hear much more about The Man with the Bag throughout the year, so make sure to check back for all the latest updates. But, in the meantime, don’t forget to check out our 2024 movie calendar for details on all the new releases coming to theaters and streaming services near you.