Dwayne Johnson has been getting creatively busier than ever, proving that his skills go above and beyond. Following the success of DC's Black Adam, the actor has once again delved into another feature with the upcoming holiday-themed film, Red One, opposite J.K. Simmons and Chris Evans. Always known as someone who shares a lot on social media (with 7,023 Instagram posts as of this writing), Johnson has been posting some behind-the-scenes images from the set of the forthcoming film, including one with a surprisingly buff Simmons.
In another Red One BTS image, the actor takes center stage as he shares a photo of himself getting in on the action from a "3 a.m." Red One night shoot. "Cool shot from our night shoots as the adrenaline kicks in on set of our new Christmas movie titled, RED ONE," the actor wrote in the caption, adding: "Sometimes you run towards the fire and sometimes you run…. into Krampus." He also revealed some of his character's details, unveiling that he will be the "Commander of the E.L.F." Johnson ended his post by thanking "the best camera operator Hollywood has ever seen," Lukasz Bielan.
Johnson definitely doesn't appear like an elf, but his disclosure makes it seem like there might be more to his character's past than meets the eye. Despite the lack of additional information regarding Red One's plot, Johnson has notably mentioned the Krampus, a notably horrific character from European Christmas mythology. Though we still don't know whether the actor's character supports the good or the bad, it makes perfect sense for him to be on the villainous side.
Director Jake Kasdan, who previously worked with Johnson on the Jumanji trilogy, describes the film as a "globe-trotting action-adventure comedy, imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre." And it's not surprising, given that we've entered an era in which Saint Nick is more than just a generous and loving Christmas figure. We've seen a different side of Santa Claus in films ranging from Kurt Russell's The Christmas Chronicles to David Harbour's Violent Night. With Simmons' Santa coming our way, the 2023 holiday season is bound to give another hot take on Santa—and he might be a door-smashing one also, similar to Harbour's.
Whatever route Simmon's Santa takes, we're sure no one's complaining. With all the behind-the-scenes images and the film boasting an ensemble cast, Red One is shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind holiday-themed movie when it debuts on Prime Video the following year.
You can check out the "cool shot" from one of Red One's night shoots below.