Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson team up for Prime Video holiday heist comedy The Man With the Bag
Prime Video released the first trailer for The Man With the Bag, an action-heist holiday comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus and Alan Ritchson as a thief recruited from the naughty list.
Trailer debut and streaming release
Amazon MGM released the first trailer for the upcoming holiday comedy The Man With the Bag on 30 September 2026. The film is scheduled to premiere directly on Prime Video on 2 December 2026. The production appears under localized regional titles across international markets, including Missione: salvare il Natale in Italy and En busca del saco mágico in Spain. Unlike Amazon MGM's earlier star-driven holiday title Red One, which received a wide theatrical rollout before its commercial struggles at the box office, The Man With the Bag will debut exclusively on the Prime Video streaming platform worldwide.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in holiday family comedy Jingle All the Way.
- Amazon MGM releases the first trailer for The Man With the Bag.
- The Man With the Bag premieres globally on Prime Video.
Plot and heist mechanics
The story centers on a holiday crisis that unfolds when Santa Claus discovers that his iconic magic bag of presents has been stolen by a rogue, vengeful elf. With the most important night of the year approaching, Santa turns to his naughty list to find someone capable of executing an intricate recovery mission. He selects Vance, a seasoned thief whose past misdeeds earned him a place on the list of bad children.
Santa recruits Vance to assemble a crew of eccentric criminals and specialists for the mission. Vance is supported by his daughter, Santa himself, reindeer, and allied elves as they attempt to pull off the largest theft of their lives. The narrative merges heist mechanics and action sequences with family comedy, framing the mission around themes of second chances, unexpected friendships, and unconventional methods to protect the holiday.
Cast and creative crew
The feature is directed by Adam Shankman, who previously directed studio titles including Hairspray, Rock of Ages, and A Walk to Remember. The screenplay was written by Allan Rice. Production duties are handled by Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Reg Tigerman, Dan Spilo, and Alan Ritchson.
Schwarzenegger portrays a non-traditional version of Santa Claus, while Ritchson plays the burglar Vance. Awkwafina stars as the disgruntled elf responsible for stealing the present sack. The supporting cast includes Berkeley James, Michael Cyril Creighton, Liza Koshy, Kyle Mooney, Jane Krakowski, and Ken Jeong, who round out the ensemble of elves, family members, and recruited crew members.
Schwarzenegger and Ritchson project context
The production is Schwarzenegger's first Christmas comedy in 30 years, following his starring role in the 1996 family film Jingle All the Way. That earlier comedy received poor reviews upon its original release before gaining a dedicated following over the subsequent three decades. At 79 years old, Schwarzenegger maintains an active acting schedule that includes his lead role in the Netflix television series Fubar and an upcoming action thriller co-starring Liam Hemsworth, following previous genre roles in The Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, and Conan the Barbarian.
Ritchson continues to serve as a prominent lead actor for Amazon's platform. He currently headlines the action drama series Reacher, which received a renewal for a sixth season shortly after completing its fourth season. The Man With the Bag unites both performers in a mini-ensemble pairing that blends physical action with festive holiday humor ahead of the December debut.
