Tim Allen to Star in Disney+ Sequel Series for 'The Santa Clause' From 'Last Man Standing' Team
The Santa Clause is one of the most beloved holiday film franchises of all-time, and now Tim Allen is set to star in a Disney+ sequel series from the Last Man Standing team. According to Deadline, the comedian will reprise his role as Scott Calvin, a toy company exec-turned-Father Christmas, in the new series, which he will also executive produce. The new show, possibly titled The Last Cause, re-teams Allen with Jack Burditt, the creator of Last Man Standing, Allen's hot sitcom which aired on ABC and them moved to Fox. Burditt will serve as a co-executive producer, as well as showrunner, of the new series.
Per Deadline, the series will follow Calvin "on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can't be Santa forever. He's starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he's got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole." The series is set to begin filming in March. At this time, no premiere date has been announced.
At this time, there is no word on whether or not any other past Santa Clause stars will return for the new series, but one previous cast member who may not be back is actor David Krumholtz played Bernard the elf. Krumholtz starred in The Santa Clause (1994), and its sequel, The Santa Clause 2 (2002). However, he did not turn up in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), and he recently opened up about why.
"Well, the story about my scheduling is true, but somehow also untrue. Yes, I feel that way. Bernard was in the third movie," he shared with Vulture. "They sent me the script, I had a pretty significant role. We did work out the schedule, which was going to be hellish on me, but I was going to make it work. And it was all set to go. But I would say that the character got devalued a little bit and I couldn't in good conscience do it."
He went on to offer his take on The Santa Clause 3, saying, "The third one, I've tried to watch. It's not the same. I think the first two are really special. The first one's a classic, obviously. It's wild to be part of something that's lasted this long, that plays every single year and has become tradition in people's homes. I could never have imagined that I'd be having this conversation years later."