First trailer sets up Schwarzenegger as Santa in holiday heist

Prime Video has released the first trailer for The Man With the Bag, a Christmas comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Claus and Alan Ritchson as a thief recruited to recover Santa’s stolen gift bag. The film is scheduled to premiere globally on the streaming service on December 2, 2026. The trailer introduces a holiday heist plot: after a rogue elf, played by Awkwafina, steals Santa’s bag, Santa turns to a thief on his Naughty List for help getting it back. Ritchson plays the recruit, identified in the film’s reported synopsis as Vance. The story brings together Santa, a criminal crew and helpers including elves and reindeer in an effort to recover the bag before Christmas. The film’s premise places Schwarzenegger in the Santa role, a new holiday-character turn for the actor. He previously starred in the Christmas comedy Jingle All the Way, released 30 years before this trailer. The new film pairs him with Ritchson, known for the series Reacher, in a story built around a theft and recovery mission rather than the search for a holiday gift. Adam Shankman directs from a screenplay by Allan Rice, according to production credits reported for the film.