Red One is Prime Video’s upcoming star-studded action movie, and it has one of the streamers’ most ambitious casts yet. It has become typical of streaming services to release big-budget action movies with a mouth-watering cast at least once a year, as 2021 saw the release of the Dwayne Johnson-starring Red Notice, and 2022 saw the release of the Chris Evans-starring The Gray Man. Now, 2023 will see those two bankable movie stars team up for Prime Video’s Red One. However, the upcoming action movie is unlike any of the streaming service’s previous big-budget action blockbusters, as Red One is a Christmas movie too.
The Red One story will be a unique take on a traditional Christmas story, as Johnson has revealed that the movie will be a mix between A Miracle on 34th Street and Hobbs & Shaw. That hints at tons of explosive action and a hilarious odd-couple crime caper but with a ton of heart and even a real Santa Claus. It’s unlikely that much of the movie will take place in the courtroom like the original Miracle on 34th Street, which is about a mall Santa who turns out to be the real Kris Kringle. However, Red One is certain to be an interesting take on the classic Holiday release, and if the Red One cast is anything to go by, the movie will make some bold moves.
Dwayne Johnson As Callum Drift
Dwayne Johnson plays Callum Drift in the Red One cast, and while not much is known about the character, Drift is likely another smart-mouth and near-invincible agent like most other characters played by The Rock. On-set photos of Johnson see him wearing red trousers and a red jacket, so it’s likely that Drift could somehow be an employee of Santa’s. This is made even likelier given that there are other on-set photos of Johnson in a mall toy store while looking deadly serious. Johnson was paid a record-breaking $50 million for his role in Red One, making it his biggest payday to date.
While Johnson originally became famous for his stage persona as The Rock in WWE, he broke into the movie industry in the 2000s with The Scorpion King and Doom. In the 2010s he became the most bankable movie star in Hollywood. The actor is largely to thank for revitalizing the Fast & Furious franchise with his supporting role in Fast Five. He then went on to star in Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, Fate of the Furious, and he even got his own spinoff movie, Hobbs & Shaw. The former wrestler has also become a great comedy actor with movies such as Baywatch, Central Intelligence, and the Jumanji reboot series.
Chris Evans as Jack O’Malley
Chris Evans’ Red One character is Jack O’Malley, but there hasn’t been much information about him either. However, it can be assumed that O’Malley is the other half of the buddy-cop-like duo with the rock given how Evans is such a high-profile actor. Given the on-set photos of Evans, it could also be assumed that O’Malley is inadvertently pulled into whatever mission Drift is on, as the character is dressed in casual clothing at the mall and simply looks like he’s shopping for gifts. This would be the second time in one year Evans had played a character like this, as it’s strikingly similar to AppleTV+’s Ghosted.
Evans’ career trajectory comes as a huge surprise given that his early roles were in critically derided movies such as Not Another Teen Movie and the 2000s Fantastic Four series. The actor went on to famously play Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in 11 movies as the character. Evans has also had the most successful post-MCU career of all his Avengers cast mates, starring in Lightyear, The Gray Man, and Ghosted. Along with The Gray Man, Evans has leaned into playing villains following his MCU tenure, as his role as Ransom in Knives Out instantly became iconic.
J. K. Simmons as Santa Claus
J.K. Simmons joins the Red One cast as Santa Claus, one of the few confirmed Red One characters that audiences have an idea about. However, it could be a very different Santa from the one that children adore, and it could be in the same vein as David Harbor’s portrayal of Santa in the 2022 action comedy Violent Night. Johnson revealed a photo of him and Simmons working out together for Red One, with Simmons benching some seriously heavy weights, hinting at a Santa that gets the job done. Simmons is a wildly left-field choice for the role of Santa Claus, as Santa is typically positive, affectionate, and, of course, jolly, something that has rarely been seen in any of Simmons’ characters.
Simmons’ most famous role is as J. Jonah Jameson in the 2000s Spider-Man movies, a role that he also reprised in the MCU. That character is totally hateful and cold, and he spins news stories in a way that will financially benefit him. The actor also played Terence Fletcher, a jazz instructor who psychologically manipulates his students, in Whiplash, and Simmons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 2014 role. However, though it’s hard to see Simmons playing a kind-hearted Santa Claus, there’s no doubt that the actor has the range to pull it off.
Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus
Bonnie Hunt plays Mrs. Claus in the Red One cast, and, once again, nothing is known about the character in the context of the Prime Video movie. However, the role still creates a ton of speculation about the Red One story. For starters, Mrs. Claus was never in the original Miracle on 34th Street or its 1994 remake, so the story likely won’t be totally like the classic story. It also hints at the fact that some of Red One could potentially be set in the North Pole. Unlike Simmons, it’s easy to see Hunt in the role of Mrs. Claus, as she has a warmness to her that shines through in almost every role she plays.
Hunt has starred in tons of 1980s and 1990s movies, most notably Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, and The Green Mile, but she has a clear preference for starring in family movies. The actor starred in Beethoven and the 2000s Cheaper by the Dozen movies, and she has had a close relationship with Pixar. Hunt has voiced Rosie in A Bug’s Life, Ms. Flint in Monsters, Inc., Sally Carrera in Cars, and Dolly in the Toy Story franchise. As a result, as Hunt hasn’t had a major role in a live-action family movie since the 2000s, playing Mrs. Claus in Red One is inspired casting.
Red One Actors In Unknown Roles
Kiernan Shipka: Along with joining the Red One cast, Shipka is best known for her television roles, including playing Sally Draper in Mad Men for eight years, the titular witch in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and joining the Riverdale cast in its sixth season.
Lucy Liu: Lucy Liu is an award-winning movie star whose breakthrough was in the TV series Ally McBeal. The actor then went on to star in Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Liu’s other notable work includes Chicago, Kill Bill: Volume 1, and Lucky Number Slevin.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis: Ironically, Ellis’ best-known role is an unnamed character, as she has played The Waitress in the hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for 16 seasons. The actor hasn’t had many movie roles, though she did feature in Paul Thomas Anderson’s universally acclaimed Licorice Pizza.
Kristofer Hivju: Hivju could potentially play the villain in the Red One cast, as the Norwegian actor is mostly typecast as a bad guy. The actor is best known for playing Tormund Giantsbane in Game of Thrones, and he had a small villainous role in The Fate of the Furious too.
Nick Kroll: Kroll is a comedian first and foremost, but he has also had roles in major movies, including Don’t Worry Darling. The actor’s voice is his most recognizable feature, as he voices characters in Sausage Party, Sing, The Secret Life of Pets 2, The Addams Family, and the Netflix series Big Mouth, which he also co-created.
Wesley Kimmel: Kimmel is a young actor who hasn’t had any major roles, but he seems to have impressed Disney. The actor has starred in several Disney+ series, including The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and WandaVision. Red One will be the actor’s first big-budget movie.
