Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has sped to nearly $90 million at the box office since its release on Dec. 20, and it hasn't even been released in big overseas markets yet. Part of its appeal is the family-friendly nature of the film, with the classic video games and actor Jim Carrey appealing to parents and children alike. So it may surprise some that two of the film's writers, Josh Miller and Patrick Casey, also penned a bloody, R-rated movie that literally has "violent" in its title. Violent Night was a hit Christmas thriller with a comedic streak, starring David Harbour as a gruff Santa Claus taking on a hostage situation. However, Miller & Casey suggest that Violent Night is more family-friendly than you might think.
When speaking to MovieWeb, the writers recounted how many people in their orbit had introduced their kids to R-rated movies for the first time with Violent Night, which has a goofy kind of violence and a warm Christmas message. Let's not forget that the all-time Christmas classic, Home Alone, is about two burglars trying to kill a child. "That's how we felt," said Miller when explaining how Violent Night can appeal to the whole family. He continued:
"We felt honored that we have a lot of friends with kids who are like, 11, and they're like, '[My kids] really want to see it.' And I'm like, 'Well, I don't know, you're asking the wrong age group, because we all saw like Terminator 2 and the original Die Hard when we were kids. And those are all rated R. So we have a lot of friends whose kids, Violent Night was their first R-rated movie, because we convinced them it was okay."
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"It's like an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon," added Casey, referring to the slapstick violence of the cartoon within The Simpsons. "It is great that that movie sort of pops back up each Christmas and people are watching and posting about it. I mean, I guess that was sort of part of the plan when we came up with the idea in the first place, like, let's make a Christmas movie. It'll generate residuals every year," said Casey with a smile.
"That's not the Christmas spirit, Pat!" laughed Miller. "Shallow capitalist!
'Violent Night 2' Will Bring Everyone Back Close
While Casey and Miller are certainly keeping busy with Sonic (and working on another Ace Ventura movie), the busiest member of Violent Night might be David Harbour. The Stranger Things star has been busy with that show's final season and various Marvel projects like Thunderbolts* and Creature Commandos. So while Violent Night 2 is certainly coming, it may not be anytime soon.
"I mean, as far as what's coming out, unfortunately, we don't know, because David Harbour is the busiest man in Hollywood currently, with a variety of other high-profile franchises," explained Miller. "But, I mean, yeah, we've got a script that we're excited about. It's hard to really tease anything."
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Casey added:
"We're well down the road on development, and hopefully we'll have something more official to announce soon. Everybody really wants to do it. Tommy Wirkola wants to come back. David wants to come back, we're back, Kelly McCormick. It's going to be, it's going to be bigger and bigger and more violent and even more Christmassy, if you can believe. That's the plan."
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is currently in theaters, and you can stream Violent Night on Starz through the link below, or rent or buy it on the usual digital platforms.
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4 /5 Violent Night R ActionComedyHoliday
David Harbor dons the silk red coat and hat of Santa Claus in Violent Night, a black comedy Christmas action film by director Tommy Wirkola. A group of mercenaries lays siege on the property of a wealthy family on Christmas Eve in hopes of scoring a self-bestowed gift of $300 million, leaving Santa Claus as the unlikely but capable last line of defense. Though the family themselves may not be perfect, the youngest daughter remains a kind-hearted child. With her help, and a unique repertoire of magical skills and tools at his disposal, Santa will double-check his naughty and nice list as he dispenses his own brand of justice to the assailants.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 2, 2022 Director Tommy Wirkola Runtime 101 minutes Cast David Harbour , John Leguizamo , Beverly D'Angelo , Cam Gigandet , Brendan Fletcher , Edi Patterson , Alex Hassell Writers Pat Casey , Josh Miller Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Expand