Thirty years after scrambling to find a Turbo Man toy in Jingle All the Way, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a much bigger Christmas problem: someone has stolen Santaâs bag.
The first teaser for The Man with the Bag, released on September 30, introduces Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus alongside Alan Ritchson, the star of Reacher. Their mission is to recover the missing bag before Christmas falls apart.
Amazon has confirmed that the film will begin streaming globally on Prime Video on December 2, 2026.
First trailer for âTHE MAN WITH THE BAGâ, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 30, 2026
The film follows Santa Claus as he enlists the help of a petty criminal after his sack of presents is stolen.
Releasing December 2 on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/lWLdAGIwll
The trouble starts with a rogue elf, played by Awkwafina, who has a grudge against Santa. Once she takes his red bag, he turns to an unlikely recruitment list: the people who have been naughty.
Ritchson plays the thief Santa brings into the operation. He assembles a crew of misfits with the skills to pull off the recovery, while elves and reindeer lend a hand. Amazon describes the story as an adventure about âsecond chances, unlikely friendships.â
From chasing Turbo Man to playing Santa
For anyone who grew up watching Schwarzeneggerâs Christmas Eve shopping disaster, the new role comes with an easy connection.
In the 1996 comedy Jingle All the Way, he played Howard Langston, a father trying to make good on a promise to his son by finding a sold-out Turbo Man action figure. His search put him up against another desperate father, played by Sinbad.
This time, Schwarzenegger is the person responsible for delivering the presents. The scale has changed, but the race to rescue Christmas is familiar.
The teaser also makes room for his action-movie history. As People reports, Schwarzeneggerâs Santa ends the preview with âIâm back!ââa knowing nod to the actorâs Terminator legacy.
Schwarzenegger had already sounded enthusiastic when production began in New York in December 2024. âIt is fantastic to be shooting The Man with the Bag with @alanritchson,â he wrote in a social media post reported by ABC News.
What Alan Ritchson learned from working with Arnold
The partnership left Ritchson with a memory that had little to do with Christmas or stunt work.
Speaking on Armchair Expert, in an interview covered by CinemaBlend, Ritchson recalled fans approaching the windows while they were filming a diner scene. Schwarzenegger was happy to step outside for photographs.
âHe has no problem. He makes time for everybody,â Ritchson said.
Ritchson explained that watching his co-star handle those interruptions made him reconsider his own frustrations with fame.
Adam Shankman directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Rice. The supporting cast includes Berkeley James, Michael Cyril Creighton, Liza Koshy, Kyle Mooney, Jane Krakowski and Ken Jeong.
Vital Thrills reports a runtime of 111 minutes and a PG rating for action and some suggestive references. For Schwarzenegger, the December release brings another Christmas deadlineâthis time with a thief on his side.
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