There's a new Christmas franchise in production, and it's managed to get the 'Whiplash' star in as Saint Nick.
J.K. Simmons is going from "brutally ripped Santa Claus" to just a regular ol' run-of-the-mill "mall Santa" for his next blockbuster film.
The Oscar-winning actor, known for his roles as J. Jonah Jameson in the 'Spider-Man' franchise and Commissioner Gordon in 'Justice League', is joining Dwayne Johnson in his upcoming Christmas action franchise, which is headed to Prime Video next year.
Johnson announced J.K. Simmons' role as Santa Claus on Instagram, writing: "AWESOME & SO MUCH FUN to officially start the production of our new Christmas franchise, known as 'RED ONE'. And introducing the one and only, Santa Claus - played by the one and only Academy Award winner, JK Simmons - who can also pass as my twin.
"This is a massive globe trotting & fun movie that brings Christmas home to you and your families in a way that you’ve never seen before."
Now, this isn't the actor's first foray as the jolly man. J.K. Simmons previously played a version of Santa Claus in the Spanish animated movie 'Klaus' back in 2019, which managed to bag itself an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
'Red One' is currently in production, and is helmed by 'Jumanji' reboot director Jake Kasdan. The plot of the family caper is under wraps for the moment, but Simmons and Johnson aren't the only big names attached.
The newly-crowned sexiest man alive Chris Evans joins the cast, as well as 'Charlie's Angels' action hero Lucy Liu and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' star Kiernan Shipka. Knick Kroll of 'Big Mouth' and 'Don't Worry Darling' fame also joins the madness, as does original 'Jumanji' star Bonnie Hunt, who will play Mrs. Claus.
Expect more details about 'Red One' in the new year once production wraps. It's believed that Amazon is hoping that the film will expand into becoming a huge franchise for the service, which so far doesn't really have many original film franchises under its belt when compared to Netflix or Disney+.
