Alan Ritchson’s hit show, Reacher, has fortunately been renewed for Season 5, but the action star has also been delving into new kinds of projects in the meantime. While he’s soon to play an action hero in the Navy SEAL biopic about Mike Thornton, he’ll also be co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a buddy Christmas flick, The Man With the Bag. While Ritchson may already have an entry on the upcoming Christmas movies schedule, he’s talking about another wild yuletide role he believes he’d nail.
After Reacher blew up, Alan Ritchson had an incredible number of Hollywood offers that he said were “mostly action stuff.” No surprise there, given how well the actor has embodied that role. Still, he is also starting to expand his comedy resume, and The Man With the Bag is the latest entry in that list.
With the comedy thing in mind, it’s worth pointing out a fan recently took to Threads to ask what kind of role Ritchson should take on next. The star himself responded with an amusing idea I really want to become a reality:
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The Grinch’s grosser, fatter cousin!
Yes, please! We’ve seen plenty of movies where Santa has an eccentric relative, like in Fred Claus, Arthur Christmas and Noelle. However, we’ve never seen movies about any relatives of the naughty Mr. Grinch. If Ritchson ever played The Grinch’s “grosser, fatter cousin,” that could create levels of comedy similar to Chris Hemsworth playing an overweight Thor in Avengers: Endgame. Seriously, can someone speak to Dr. Seuss’ estate about this?
Another reason I’d love to see this is because it would mark another chance to subvert tropes with a Christmas movie. For example, it was entertaining to see David Harbor playing a savage Santa giving season’s beatings in Violent Night. So, if we can see a tough guy like the Titans actor make The Grinch look like he belongs on The Nice List by comparison, I’m all for it!
The chances of audiences seeing Ritchson as the misfit cousin of The Grinch may be slim, but at least The Man With the Bag will see Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Santa, so that’s something. When his bag of Christmas presents gets stolen, Claus recruits a local thief (played by Ritchson) to show him how to perfectly perform the heist to retrieve the bad.
Honestly, this is the perfect action hero duo for such a holiday flick. I mean, on on hand, Austrian former bodybuilder starred in the top-tier Christmas movie, Jingle All the Way, which brought rush holiday shopping to a whole new level. And, while Ritchson is known for playing tough guys, we’ve seen his comedic side come out in roles like The Wedding Ringer, Playdate and Lazer Team.
So, while Alan Ritchson’s upcoming holiday film should be fun, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he does play the “grosser, fatter cousin” of The Grinch, as he desires. For now, though, look forward to seeing him and Schwarzenegger in the The Man With the Bag, which will be available to stream with a Prime Video subscription starting on December 2nd.