When you think of Kurt Russell films, there’s the litany of iconic roles that spring to mind. “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Escape from New York,” “The Thing,” and “Tombstone” feature what some might call Peak Russell. But even through his heyday of action films and dramas, he’d throw audiences a bit of a curveball and show up in a film where you’ll say, “Wait, Kurt Russell is in this?” Films like “The Fox and the Hound” and “Sky High” are a couple examples of this weird phenomenon. Now, we can add “The Christmas Chronicles” to the list.
Somehow, Russell teamed up with producer Chris Columbus to make a film about Santa Claus that is a mixture of the tough guy roles the actor is known for, but also the weird children’s film roles he has dabbled in previously. In the trailer for the Netflix film, you see that all the classic Christmas tropes are present, but with a twist. There are elves, magic, a sleigh, and mentions of the naughty list. But then you have fast cars, jumping from roof to roof, and that iconic swagger that Russell brings to each and every role. “The Christmas Chronicles” looks…strangely interesting.
“The Christmas Chronicles” hits Netflix on November 22.
Here’s the official synopsis:
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES, a holiday adventure from producer Chris Columbus (“Home Alone”, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) and director Clay Kaytis (“The Angry Birds Movie”), tells the story of sister and brother, Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis), whose Christmas Eve plan to catch Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) on camera turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about. After staking out Santa’s arrival, they sneak into his sleigh, cause it to crash and nearly derail Christmas. As their wild night unfolds, Kate and Teddy work together with Santa – as you’ve never seen him before – and his loyal Elves to save Christmas before it’s too late.
