Kristen Bell and Daniela Melchior Join ‘Violent Night 2’

(Left) Kristen Bell as Joanne in episode 101 of ‘Nobody Wants This’. Photo: Stefania Rosini/Netflix © 2024. (Right) Daniela Melchior stars in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

Preview:

Kristen Bell and Daniela Melchior are joining ‘Violent Night 2’.
David Harbour returns as a Santa.
Tommy Wirkola is directing once more.

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout… I’m telling you why: as we learned way back in January 2023, a sequel to 2022’s festive themed action comedy ‘Violent Night’ was reported as in development.

The creative team have certainly taken their time, but things are clearly moving forward as Deadline reports that Kristen Bell (‘Frozen’) and Daniela Melchior (‘The Suicide Squad’) are joining a returning David Harbour to lead the cast.

Release Date: Dec 4, 2026

Harbour, of course, returns as the grumpy Santa Claus who has a propensity for dishing out a little of the ol’ ultraviolence to anyone who makes his naughty list.

Tommy Wirkola (‘Dead Snow’) is back calling the shots (and punches, and hits to the baubles), while the sequel’s script comes from the writers of the original, Pat Casey and Josh Miller.

What was the story of ‘Violent Night’?

(L to R) Alexis Louder, and David Harbour in ‘Violent Night.’ © Universal Studios.

‘Violent Night’ starred Harbour as a version of Santa who is feeling a little jaded about the whole Christmas thing after centuries of delivering presents to increasingly ungrateful kids.

A Norse warrior lord before he was tapped to don the red suit and bring joy to the world, he’s tired of lists asking for cash or video games, and of competing with Amazon. Plus, the genuine “thank yous” are few and far between.

So when he stumbles into a hostage situation at the Lightstone family compound, where the wealthy Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo) and her grown kids, in-laws and grandchildren have gathered to celebrate a typically passive-aggressive Christmas, he’s initially more concerned with raiding the liquor cabinet than helping out, he’s moved by young Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady) to take down the villain known as Scrooge (John Leguizamo) and his goons.

There are zero details on what the sequel will feature, besides presumably Harbour’s less-than-Jolly Old Saint Nick putting a beat down on some new threats.

They’re not the only new recruits –– Deadline reports that Jared Harris and Joe Pantoliano are also aboard the film, in unknown roles.

Will Bell be a villain? Someone Santa has to save? And what of Melchior (who, after all, shares a name with a Biblical wise man associated with Christmas)? Looks like we’ll all have to act like kids on Christmas Eve and wait to see what this new cine-gift has to offer.

Where else can we see Kristen Bell and Daniela Melchior?

Kristen Bell in 2014’s ‘Veronica Mars’. Photo: Warner Bros.

Bell popped up in a cameo as herself in the most recent season of ‘Hacks’, but beyond that was the star of Netflix comedy drama series ‘Nobody Wants This’ in 2024. The show returns to the streaming service for Season 2 on October 23rd this year.

She’ll also reprise the key role of Anna in ‘Frozen III’, due in theaters on November 24th, 2027.

As for Melchior, she’s been seen in the likes of ‘Road House’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and will next be among the leads for social media thriller ‘American Sweatshop’, headed to screens on September 19th.