Goodbye Frosty, time for you to melt into the talented Hawaiian god that is Jason Momoa. Photosource CBS
Guys, 2020 will just not give us a break. Every time we start to think things are settling down we get a new curveball of terror we never could have imagined.
Case in point, Jason Momoa, the badass actor known for playing the fearsome Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones and as the legendary Aquaman, has signed on to voice none other than Frosty the Snowman in a coming CGI/live-action hybrid of the classic Christmas tale.
Frosty. The. Snowman.
Jason. Momoa.
What is happening? Seriously, what is happening right now, someone please tell me.
Would Jason Momoa look amazing in a top hat? Of course, he’d look good in anything but it doesn’t make up for just how thrown off-guard we are by this casting choice. As producers and Warner Bros execs Jon Berg and Greg Silverman explained after working with Momoa on Aquaman “it felt only right to realize Jason out of snow this time,” which sounds almost clever but really makes zero sense. That explanation is literally just a random set of words put next to each other. Are they just basing their projects on the different states of water now? What will be next? Momoa fighting crime as some kind of vapor?
Expanding on that disjointed idea, Silverman went on to clarify that Momoa was chosen for the role because he is “a true human being filled with love, compassion, and a deep connection to ohana…All of which is the living spirit of Xmas and Frosty.”
I’m sorry, what? As all die-hard fans of Lilo & Stitch know, Ohana is the traditional Hawaiian term for family, and while family is an important part of Christmas that’s still a huge leap to connect the two different cultures here. Given Frosty’s famous, let’s say apprehension, of warm weather it seems especially bizarre that they would think it’s a good idea to try to use a Hawaiian term to try and link Momoa to a magical snowman just because he is Hawaiian.
Now don’t get me wrong, Jason Momoa is undoubtedly talented, not to mention straight-up gorgeous, and could probably play any part he wanted but can any of us really imagine him as a big-bellied Frosty singing along to Christmas music as he tries to evade Professor Hinkle?
As far as I see it, if they are casting Momoa into this classic holiday story it means they probably intend to put an entirely new spin on it. Frosty the Snowman was originally a three-minute-long film from the 1950’s until it was remade in 1969 as an animated television special, and it’s this version that has been shown during the Christmas season every year since it first aired. Known for his action roles, Momoa probably won’t be the demure innocent Frosty we know and love, his casting may seem chaotic but maybe it just means Frosty is getting a well-overdue and modern update. Although I’m sure we are all going to have some conflicting feelings when we all inevitably end up being attracted to the new version of Frosty the Snowman, that is the burden they have thrust upon us with this casting choice.
Alas, other than Momoa’s role, details on the new film are still scarce. We know it’s being produced jointly by Warner Bros. And Stampede Ventures, and David Berenbaum, the screenwriter of Elf, will be forming the script. The tentative release date is for December 2022, meaning at least we have a lot of time to get used to the idea.
