‘Stranger Things’ star David Harbour to play R-rated Santa Claus
(Credit: Netflix)

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'Stranger Things' star David Harbour to play R-rated Santa Claus

David Harbour, one of the most beloved actors in Netflix’s Stranger Things, will take on a different kind of role in an R-rated Christmas movie.

Named Violent Night, the upcoming Christmas action comedy film, directed by the Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola, the same filmmaker behind Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, will be an altogether darker take on the festive icon we know and love. 

Penned by the writers of the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action feature films, Pat Casey and Josh Miller, Violent Night sees Harbour don the bright red suit to save the day against a group of mercenaries who attack a wealthy family’s home on Christmas Eve. Described as an action-packed thriller and a “coal-dark holiday thriller that says you should always bet on red,” we can’t wait to catch this in the future on streaming. 

Meanwhile, Harbour has been enjoying the mammoth success of Stranger Things, revealing to British GQ that a neat easter egg in the final series involves his character, a prop sword and the most famous bodybuilder of all time. 

“I don’t know if you saw this, but that sword I pick up – it’s the actual prop sword they used in Conan the Barbarian,” Harbour told the magazine, adding, “It’s the sword that Schwarzenegger swings in the movie”. 

Harbour also referenced one piece of “fan service” that was added into the show, describing the moment his character and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) shared a kiss. “It’s always something that Winona and I have talked about – on set riffing about what their relationship was in high school, and y’know, who they are to each other,” he stated. Adding, “There was always a tension between should this be consummated, or should they just be friends?”. 

Check out the trailer for volume two, season four, of the celebrated series below.