"Black Adam meets Santa": Twitter goes berserk over JK Simmons and Dwayne Johnson's new look from Red One

Dwayne Johnson dropped the first look of his first 2023 film, Red One, early on Monday, January 23, 2023. Featuring himself and JK Simmons, the image has the latter donning a Santa Claus look, while Johnson is seen wearing combat boots and a red-and-black jacket.

As soon as the snap was shared, some expressed their excitement for the upcoming movie, while many ridiculed the photo. One netizen commented, “Black Adam meet Santa Claus,” referring to Johnson’s DC superhero character.

Fan reacting to first look. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Red One is an action-adventure Christmas movie, so the image checks out. There is no release date for now, but the Amazon Prime Video original film is slated to release exclusively during the holiday season.

Apart from Johnson as Callum Drift and Simmons as Santa Claus, the feature co-stars Chris Evans as Jack O'Malley, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Liu, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, and Kristofer Hivju. Meanwhile, Jerry Maguire actor Bonnie Hunt will be seen as Mrs. Claus.

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Netizens divided after Dwayne Johnson shares a picture from Red One

Sharing a picture of JK Simmons dressed as Santa, Dwayne Johnson, in his Twitter post, wrote:

“Santa the rockstar. An honor having his six. Oscar winner and coolest dude in the North Pole, J.K. Simmons bringing Santa’s big ol’ beautiful heart to life…More to come.”

He completed the caption with hashtags and emojis depicting Christmas-related things. In the photo, both actors are somewhat jovial and have a relaxed gait.

Soon after, netizens flooded the comments section of the post. Check out some of the reactions:

Fans react to Dwayne's Twitter post. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Fans react to Dwayne's Twitter post. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Fans react to Dwayne's Twitter post. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

However, not all the comments were negative. Some supported Johnson and the film while expressing their excitement for the upcoming movie.

Fans react to Dwayne's Twitter post. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

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Red One was announced in 2021, shooting started a year later

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans' starrer Red One was first announced in June 2021, with Johnson collaborating with his Fast & Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan. Hiram Garcia, President (Production) at Johnson’s production firm Seven Bucks Productions, proposed the idea behind the film.

The yet-to-be-released movie has been described as a “globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy” that creates “a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.”

When asked about the film, Garcia told Deadline:

“Red One is incredibly special to me and a story I've wanted to tell for years. An epic, edge-of-your seat, action-adventure that takes beloved holiday mythology and turns it on its head.”

Meanwhile, while announcing the project, Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, shared:

“Hiram’s concept and the world he’s envisioned are uniquely original. Red One is just the first step in what we know will be a successful, collaborative venture.”

Chris Evans joined the team in January 2022, and production commenced ten months later in Atlanta. The Captain America star shared a selfie at the time to announce that he had joined the set.

In the photo, the actor donned a slight grin, a scruffy-bearded look, a gray T-shirt, and a leather jacket. He was sitting in front of a chair with R1 stylishly written in green, complete with Christmas snowflakes.

Red One will mark Evans' first collaboration with Johnson. The film is directed by Jake Kasdan, best known for Walk Hard (2007), Bad Teacher (2011), Johnson-starrers Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), and its 2019 sequel.

Seven Bucks Productions, Amazon Prime Original Films, Amazon Studios, The Detective Agency, and Chris Morgan Productions are aboard as the producers.