The Man with the Bag trailer casts Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus

Prime Video released the first trailer for The Man with the Bag on September 30, with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Santa Claus and Alan Ritchson as the thief recruited to save Christmas. The action comedy premieres globally on the service on December 2, 2026, with the same date listed for Brazil.

The conflict begins when a disgruntled elf, played by Awkwafina, steals the red bag that enables Santa to complete his annual mission. With no time for a conventional response, he finds Vance, Ritchson's character and a former name on his naughty list. The thief assembles a crew of specialists to recover the object, joined by his daughter, elves, and reindeer.

A heist comedy built around its leads' contrasting roles

The trailer frames the Christmas fantasy as a heist movie. Vance organizes the criminal crew and its logistics, while Santa participates directly in the mission instead of serving only as a victim or rescue target. The pairing draws on the stars' established screen identities: Schwarzenegger brings decades of action roles, while Ritchson arrives closely associated with Jack Reacher's physical presence and efficiency.

The contrast also separates this role from Schwarzenegger's previous holiday comedy. Thirty years after playing a father desperately searching for a toy in 1996's Jingle All the Way, he now leads the operation as Santa himself. The trailer also includes a brief reference to his history with Terminator. Those choices confirm that the actor's screen persona is part of the comedy; they do not establish, before release, how successfully the movie will balance action, humor, and its family story.

Adam Shankman directs the feature from a screenplay by Allan Rice. In addition to Schwarzenegger, Ritchson, and Awkwafina, the cast includes Berkeley James, Michael Cyril Creighton, Liza Koshy, Kyle Mooney, Jane Krakowski, and Ken Jeong. Ritchson is also among the producers, alongside Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Reg Tigerman, and Dan Spilo.

Schwarzenegger's return to a film role

The Man with the Bag will be Schwarzenegger's first acting role in a feature since Terminator: Dark Fate, released in 2019. That does not mean the actor was absent from screens throughout the period: he starred in Netflix's series FUBAR. The distinction applies specifically to film projects.

The released material confirms the central setup, cast, and date, but still leaves questions of execution open. The trailer emphasizes the two leads and the mission to recover the bag; it does not define the size of each supporting character's role or reveal whether Awkwafina's elf has motivations beyond the grievance cited in the synopsis.

From an editorial perspective, the project depends less on the novelty of placing an action star in a Christmas production and more on reversing his function. Schwarzenegger is no longer the adult struggling against the holiday but the figure responsible for making it happen. A direct Prime Video release at the start of December positions that reversal as seasonal programming designed to circulate throughout the weeks leading into Christmas.