The filming of The Man With the Bag, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson, has officially begun in New York, as confirmed by Amazon MGM Studios on X (Twitter).
In the images, Schwarzenegger looks almost unrecognizable, as we usually see him as a tough guy. But now, he transforms into Santa with a white beard and costume. While filming in NYC, Schwarzenegger was heavily protected from the public, surrounded by five security guards.
Directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray) from a screenplay by Allan Rice.
Here’s the plot details for The Man With the Bag:
From Amazon MGM Studios, The Man With the Bag is a “holiday comedy in which Santa’s magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance (Ritchson), a former thief, to help him get it back. Along with his daughter, Santa, and a group of misfit elves, Vance will have to pull off the greatest heist of his life to save Christmas.”
Back in 2023, during an interview with USA TODAY, Schwarzenegger spoke about filming action projects in his 70s, noting that his body has changed since he was in his 30s. “It’s all about reps,” Schwarzenegger said. “It’s rehearsing, rehearsing, and more rehearsing. Nothing has changed. It’s just harder to do some of those things than it was 40 years ago. You might be more sore the next day. Age definitely makes a difference.”
“It was forgivable when I was young,” he said. “I’ve broken my fingers on stunts. But we worked around the injuries,” Schwarzenegger added. “That’s tougher to do when you get older.”
Produced by Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Reg Tigerman, Dan Spilo, and Alan Ritchson, with Grey Matter Productions as the production company.
The Man With the Bag is scheduled to release next holiday season in limited theaters and on Prime Video.
