Alan Ritchson and Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'The Man With the Bag' Adds a 'Kung Fu Panda' Star to Santa's List

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Every action hero needs a comic relief sidekick, and according to Deadline, it looks like Awkwafina is bringing her comedy chops to Amazon MGM's festive comedy The Man with the Bag alongside none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reacher star Alan Ritchson. While details of Awkwafina’s role are still under wraps, her addition to the cast already has us excited to see what festive chaos she’ll bring to the screen. The movie is being directed by Hairspray and A Walk to Remember filmmaker Adam Shankman.

Awkwafina has been busy lately, lending her voice to Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 and Illumination’s Migration, and starring in Hulu’s Emmy-winning Quiz Lady as well as Jackpot! for Amazon MGM Studios. She also loves stealing scenes in all her movies, so seeing her up against a 250lb slab of pulsating meat in the shape of Jack Reacher himself should be quite the treat for all of us.

The story revolves around Santa’s magic bag—yes, the bag that makes Christmas possible—getting stolen. To get it back, Santa turns to Vance (Ritchson), a former thief on his “naughty list,” for help. It's always the naughty ones that get sh*t done, Santa needs to be more open-minded, honestly. With Vance’s daughter, a ragtag group of misfit elves, and Santa himself in tow, the team needs to pull off a heist and save Christmas. So it's like Ocean's Eleven with gingerbread, tinsel and reindeer. We're sold.

What Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Say About 'The Man with the Bag'?

Schwarzenegger, who’s no stranger to holiday-themed hijinks (Jingle All the Way fans, where you at?), shared his excitement about the project on Instagram, posting a behind-the-scenes photo with Ritchson and giving a shoutout to director Shankman. “It is fantastic to be shooting The Man with the Bag with @alanritchson,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “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.”

While there’s no official release date yet, Schwarzenegger’s Instagram post hints at a Christmas 2025 debut, giving us something to look forward to next holiday season. In the meantime, fans can catch Alan Ritchson in Reacher on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on The Man with the Bag as we get closer to the most wonderful time of the year. And yes, it is still only January.