Fans of The Santa Clause were thrilled to learn that fan-favorite character Bernard the Elf will be back for the new Disney+ series, The Santa Clauses. David Krumholtz will be reprising his role in the new series after not being seen in the franchise since The Santa Clause 2 back in 2002. While it seems that his role may be limited in the show, director Jason Winer recently explained that the character’s return is pivotal to the story and will explain his absence from the third film and why he aged during that time.
The Santa Clause was a massive hit for Tim Allen back in 1994, spawning two sequels with the potential for more to come. However, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause didn’t fare as well as expected with either its reviews or box office success, and the franchise seemed to come to a crashing end. However, the birth of Disney+ has allowed the revival of many older franchises, including the recent Hocus Pocus 2 and the upcoming Willow series, and The Santa Clauses is another of those revivals.
While speaking to TVLine, Winer promised that the show would address the previous absence of Bernard from the franchise and how, unlike the other elves in the series, he has aged. However, those expecting to see Krumholtz playing a prominent role throughout the series may be slightly disappointed as the director’s comments suggest he could only be in a single episode. He said:
“He is in an episode. He plays a pivotal part in teaching Scott some things that maybe he didn’t know, either about the mantle of Santa Claus or himself. We’re playing with this idea that Scott doesn’t… know a lot about his role as Santa Claus. He just knows how he became Santa Claus, and there is a lot of information withheld from him. Bernard unlocks a lot of that information when he comes back."
Will The Santa Clauses Be A Conclusion to the Franchise?
The rule of “never say never” has not been more appropriate to the current Hollywood trend of reviving 30-year-old franchises with their original cast members. From Top Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, to Beavis & Butthead and Fraggle Rock, whether on the big screen or streaming, there has been a boom in franchise revivals that have allowed fans to get nostalgic and newcomers to get invested in something they possibly didn’t even know existed. When it comes to The Santa Clauses, it could either be a chance to restart the franchise or bring it to a satisfactory conclusion.
The synopsis for the series seems to suggest an end for Scott Calvin’s life as Santa Claus, but will that be the case? The description of the series reads:
"In the Disney+ series, Scott Calvin is 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 Santa Clauses will debut on Disney+ this Wednesday, November 16th, and will release new episodes weekly in the festive run-up to Christmas.