Alan Ritchson's "irresistible" Christmas movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger gets joyous first trailer

The joyous first trailer for Alan Ritchson's new Christmas movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger has landed. The Man with the Bag sees the latter take on the role of Santa, who recruits a thief (played by the Reacher actor) after his famous red bag is stolen.

The culprit is "a rogue elf with a grudge" (Awkwafina) and he hires the thief "from his ‘Naughty List’ who quickly assembles a crew of criminally skilled misfits — with a little help from elves and reindeer — to pull off the most unexpected heist of their lives".

In the teaser trailer, we see Schwarzenegger's Santa meet Ritchson's Vance in discreet clothes on an ice rink, and tries to pull off his best dog impression.

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As well as previews of the action hijinks in store, the Terminator actor ends with a nod to his most famous line: "I'm back!"

The Man with a Bag is described as an "irresistible mix of action, comedy and holiday heart" by streamer Prime Video, as fans can expect a "fresh, action-packed spin on holiday entertainment, combining a high-stakes heist with the heart, humour and festive spirit of Christmas".

As well as the aforementioned stars, the movie also features Berkeley James, Michael Cyril Creighton, Liza Koshy, Kyle Mooney, Jane Krakowski and Ken Jeong, while Adam Shankman directs and Allan Rice writes.

The movie has been in the works for a while, with filming taking place way back in December 2024, Schwarzenegger teasing on Instagram at the time: "Santa Claus is coming to town! It is fantastic to be shooting The Man with the Bag with @alanritchson.

"Our director @adamshankman is one of the funniest directors I’ve worked with, New York City is an amazing host, working with @amazonmgmstudios is a joy, and I can’t wait to share all of this Christmas cheer with each and every one of you."

The film also marks Schwarzenegger's return to the festive movie genre after 1996 classic Jingle All the Way.

Meanwhile, Ritchson was recently seen in season four of his hit show Reacher, which wrapped up its run earlier this month.

The Man with the Bag premieres on Prime Video on 2 December.

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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.