There are almost no words for what you’re about to witness — but we’ll try. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson teams with Chris Evans to save a kidnapped, jacked Santa Clause (J.K. Simmons) and slap-fight Krampus in the first trailer for Red One.
Coming from Amazon MGM, Red One is already somewhat infamous. Originally scheduled for release last holiday season, the film was delayed, with the studio citing the SAG-AFTRA strike as the reason. However, reports from earlier this year also put blame on The Rock, whose excessive lateness ballooned the movie’s budget to a reported $250 million. If that cost feels more like a Marvel movie than a Christmas romp… well, you’re not far off.
The Rock stars as Santa’s primary E.L.F. (Extremely Large and Formidable) agent, with Big Red’s workshop and present delivery operation working more like a Fast and Furious spy agency than a jolly toy factory. (Fast franchise stalwart Chris Morgan penned the script.) When Santa (a buff and tough Simmons) gets abducted, the head of E.L.F, Lucy Lui, calls in the world’s best tracker (Evans), who just so happens to be a Level 4 Naughty Lister. So you know he and The Rock are gonna have some chalk and cheese camaraderie with fish-out-of-water hijinks abounding.
On their quest to rescue Saint Nick, the unlikely duo must work with talking polar bears, battle regenerative snowmen on the beach, and slapbox Krampus. And yes, it looks like the finale will see Rock punching a giant CGI monster in the face. Director Jake Kasdan (Johnson’s Jumanji series collaborator) seems to be approaching these outrageous concepts with the same level of sincerity as any franchise-focused blockbuster — or, as serious as one banking on beastiality and “nerds think Wonder Woman is hot” jokes can get.
We’ll see if it pays off when Red One is unwrapped in theaters on November 15th. For now, hold onto your massive reindeer and watch the Red One trailer below.