Disney+’s The Santa Clause Series Casts Kal Penn

Kal Penn is coming down the chimney in The Santa Clause limited series at Disney+. A sequel to the feature film trilogy that starred Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the previously announced spinoff follows Scott Calvin’s (Allen) search for a suitable replacement to take over as the new Santa. After adding Jason Winer (Modern Family, Single Parents) as director and executive producer this week, Disney’s The Santa Clause has tapped Penn (House, Harold & Kumar) for a role reminiscent of Allen’s in the 1994 movie. 

Penn plays Simon Choksi — note the initials S.C. — “an ambitious game inventor and product developer and a devoted single father,” according to a report from Deadline. “Simon can talk the tech-mogul talk but can’t walk the walk, and his dreams of being the next Bezos falls drastically short. But all that changes after a visit to the North Pole.” 

The Santa Clause series reunites Allen with his Last Man Standing creator Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Modern Family, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), who executive produces with Allen, Kevin Hench (Last Man Standing, Mr. Iglesias), Richard Baker (1994’s The Santa Clause), and Rick Messina (2002’s Santa Clause 2). 

Last month, Mitchell signed on to reprise her role as Carol/Mrs. Claus. 

In the TV continuation of the film trilogy that ended with 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, “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,” reads the official synopsis from Disney. “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 hit film franchise co-starred Eric Lloyd as Scott’s first son, Charlie, Judge Reinhold as Neil, Wendy Crewson as Scott’s ex-wife Laura Miller, David Krumholtz as head elf Bernard, and Spencer Breslin as the elf Curtis. It’s currently unclear if any of Allen and Mitchell’s Santa Clause co-stars are returning for a final trip to the North Pole. 

Disney and 20th Television have not yet announced a streaming date for The Santa Clause mini-series. 

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