Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s new movie “Red One” will be released on Nov. 15. The movie sees Johnson take on the role of the North Pole head of security Callum Drift, who must work with bounty hunter Jack O’Malley (played by Chris Evans) to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus (played by J.K. Simmons) in order to save Christmas.
Jake Kasdan directs the film, having worked with Johnson before on “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jumanji: The Next Level.” Kasdan said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that “Red One” stands out because the film is “a little more kick-ass” than other Christmas movies.
After three movies, he says he has developed mutual trust and a shared sense of humor with Johnson.
“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,” Kasdan said. “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.”
Amazon Studios won the chance to produce “Red One” with Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions in 2021, with Deadline saying Amazon wants to make a franchise out of the film. Chris Morgan, author of several “Fast & Furious” films including “Tokyo Drift” and “Hobbs & Shaw,” was also brought in to create the screenplay for “Red One.”
The first trailer gave an exciting look at the film. J.K. Simmons is shown lifting weights as a buff St. Nick. The CGI reindeers are huge and imposing with Reinaldo Faberlle playing the talking CGI polar bear Agent Garcia. The animated antagonists such as Krampus and the Snowmen are terrifyingly intimidating in their fight scenes.
The second trailer gave more look at the action of the film and hinted at a little more of the plot. Johnson and Evans’ chemistry shines through in the trailer, which also shows some of the comedic elements of the film.
“I’m not gonna like you,” O’Malley says to Drift in the trailer. “Out of everyone here, I like you the least.”
O’Malley and Drift visit a toy store to suit up in the trailer, as Drift explains he can make toys become life-size with special Christmas technology. The trailer reveals that it’s unknown to Drift who actually kidnapped Santa Claus, which means they must go visit the classic Christmas antagonists.
Kiernan Shipka appears very shortly as Grýla and we get a more extensive look at the Krampus castle scene revealed in the first trailer. Krampus, played by Kristofer Hivju, throws a man into a pillar, and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots aid Drift and O’Malley in their brawl against Krampus and his minions.
O’Malley is shown to be extremely reluctant to help Drift save Christmas.
“I think if you don’t need me here, I might just go wait in the car,” he says to Drift after watching Krampus wrestle his minions for fun.
Johnson will reportedly break a record for highest paid actor in a single role with his $50 million upfront payment, breaking Robert Downey Jr. and Will Smith’s record of $40 million. This upfront payment is due to “Red One” being previously planned to only release on Amazon Prime worldwide in 2023, meaning Johnson would not see backend earnings from the box office.
Now, after delays, “Red One” will get a global theatrical release on Nov. 15 before being put on Prime. This means that Johnson will likely now earn even more money than previously anticipated. The movie is projected to gross around $20-$40 million on opening weekend domestically.
“Red One” will surely see University of Miami alum Dwayne Johnson bring something new to the Christmas movie genre. With action, comedy, and adventure all packed into one big film with some of the biggest names in the industry, it is a film you shouldn’t miss.