MJF’s next Hollywood role finally has footage attached to it. Universal Pictures released the first full trailer for Violent Night 2 on August 4, the David Harbour sequel that pulled the AEW star off television for a stretch of last fall.
Harbour returns as a Santa Claus who has landed on the naughty list himself. Stripped of his magic and cut off from the North Pole, he ends up in the Silver Bell Mall, where a gangster played by Jared Harris is terrorizing the merchants.
Kristen Bell debuts as Mrs. Claus and joins the fight alongside her husband. Santa’s mission by the end of the trailer is simple enough: “It’s time to save Christmas and get off the naughty list.”
Where MJF Fits In
Universal bills Maxwell Friedman in the official cast list as an AEW professional wrestler, credited alongside his work in The Iron Claw and Happy Gilmore 2. The studio has still not revealed who he plays, and the character was not identified in any of the promotional material released with the trailer.
The rest of the cast includes Joe Pantoliano, Daniela Melchior and Andrew Bachelor. Tommy Wirkola returns to direct, with David Leitch and Kelly McCormick producing through 87North. The first film grossed roughly $76 million worldwide in 2022.
The AEW Timeline
Friedman disappeared from AEW programming in September 2025 to shoot the film in Winnipeg. We reported at the time that he was expected back once filming wrapped, which it did that October.
He has been candid about balancing the two careers, telling one interviewer earlier this year that he has no plans to leave wrestling for Hollywood. He has since dropped his AEW Title to Darby Allin in April, after which reports indicated he would take time away for another film role.
Violent Night 2 opens in theaters on December 4. It carries an R rating for strong bloody violence and language.
