Prime Video has unwrapped its full trailer for The Man with the Bag, and the holiday heist comedy is leaning hard into its most irresistible pairing: Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus, and Alan Ritchson as the thief Santa needs to save Christmas. Released on November 2, 2026, the new trailer gives the fullest look yet at the film ahead of its global premiere on Prime Video on December 2, 2026.
The premise is as simple as it is silly, and that is exactly the point. When Santa’s iconic red bag is stolen by a rogue elf with a grudge, played by Awkwafina, Christmas itself is suddenly at risk. With his biggest night of the year fast approaching, Santa does what no well-behaved hero would do: he recruits a thief from his own Naughty List and asks him to steal the bag back.
What happens in the new trailer
The trailer opens not at the North Pole but in an ordinary diner, where Ritchson’s character, Vance, a skilled pickpocket and thief, is having a quiet conversation with his young daughter, Emma, played by Berkeley James. Then comes a mysterious job offer with a life-changing payout, from a jovial client in a red suit who introduces himself as Kris.
Kris, of course, turns out to be Santa Claus himself. Before long, Vance and his daughter are on a flying sleigh ride, and Santa is explaining the crisis: a disgruntled elf has taken his magic bag, and without it there is no Christmas. Vance takes the job and assembles a crew of criminally skilled misfits, with a little help from elves and reindeer, to pull off the most unexpected heist of their lives.
The trailer also leans into the comedy of the odd couple at its centre. Santa performs figure-skating tricks on an ice rink in front of a stunned Vance, the action set pieces sit comfortably alongside the festive warmth, and the whole thing is pitched as a film the entire family can watch together. The official logline sums it up as a holiday heist adventure about second chances, unlikely friendships, and discovering that sometimes even Santa needs a little help delivering Christmas.
The cast of The Man with the Bag
Schwarzenegger and Ritchson lead the film, but the supporting cast is stacked with familiar comedy faces. The confirmed line-up includes:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus, also known as Kris Kringle
- Alan Ritchson as Vance, the thief recruited from Santa’s Naughty List
- Awkwafina as the rogue elf who steals Santa’s bag
- Berkeley James as Emma, Vance’s young daughter
- Michael Cyril Creighton in a supporting role
- Liza Koshy in a supporting role
- Kyle Mooney in a supporting role
- Jane Krakowski in a supporting role
- Ken Jeong in a supporting role
The film is directed by Adam Shankman, whose credits include Hairspray, The Pacifier and A Walk to Remember, from a screenplay by Allan Rice. It is produced by Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Reg Tigerman, Dan Spilo and Alan Ritchson.
Thirty years after Jingle All the Way
For Schwarzenegger, The Man with the Bag is a return to Christmas comedy exactly 30 years after Jingle All the Way became a festive favourite in 1996. That film cast him as a father hunting a sold-out toy; this one puts him at the top of the Christmas tree, and the joke lands differently precisely because audiences know his action-hero history. The trailer plays on that contrast throughout, with Schwarzenegger playing Santa straight while Ritchson handles the rule-breaking.
For Ritchson, the film is another major Prime Video showcase after Reacher made him one of streaming’s most bankable action leads. Pairing him with Schwarzenegger gives the film two generations of action stardom in a single frame.
A teaser trailer arrived in September 2026; the November 2 trailer is the full-length follow-up, arriving exactly a month before release, when holiday viewing plans are being made.
What it means, and what to watch next
Prime Video has made Christmas programming a key part of its year, and The Man with the Bag is positioned as its headline festive film for 2026, premiering globally on the same day. A streaming-first release means it will live or die on that opening weekend of living-room viewing, and the trailer’s job is to make it feel like an event rather than just another title in the catalogue.
What to watch next is straightforward: whether Prime Video releases any final clips or behind-the-scenes material in the run-up to December 2, and how audiences respond to the Schwarzenegger-Ritchson pairing once the full film is available.
Frequently asked questions
When does The Man with the Bag premiere?
The film premieres globally on Prime Video on December 2, 2026.
Who plays Santa in The Man with the Bag?
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Santa Claus, who introduces himself to Vance as Kris.
Who is Alan Ritchson’s character?
Ritchson plays Vance, a skilled thief on Santa’s Naughty List who is recruited to recover the stolen magic bag.
Who plays the elf who steals the bag?
Awkwafina plays the rogue elf with a grudge whose theft of Santa’s red bag sets the story in motion.
Who directed The Man with the Bag?
Adam Shankman directed the film from a screenplay by Allan Rice.