David Krumholtz will reprise his role as Bernard the elf in the upcoming Disney+ miniseries The Santa Clauses. The series is a continuation of the Santa Clause movie trilogy, starring Tim Allen as a man who accidentally knocks Santa off his roof and has the powers and responsibilities of the jolly Christmas icon transferred over to himself due to a legal doctrine known as “the Santa Clause.” The original 1994 film was followed by The Santa Clause 2 in 2002 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, which introduced the mythical villain Jack Frost, played by Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short.
Although he didn’t return for the third movie, Krumholtz played one of the Santa Clause franchise’s most iconic characters: Bernard the Elf. The grouchy head of the North Pole elves, he is the character who keeps Allen’s character Scott Calvin on track to make sure Christmas goes smoothly, even though Calvin initially views him as something of an antagonist. Bernard is also instrumental in the sequel when it is revealed that “The Mrs. Clause” means that Scott, now fully Santafied, needs to find himself a wife.
Per Deadline, Krumholtz is now set to reprise his role as Bernard in The Santa Clauses, which premieres on Disney+ this Fall. He will be the third returning cast member alongside Allen as Santa and Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Claus. Although Bernard’s role in the series’s storyline is currently unknown, he will undoubtedly be aiding Santa on his quest to find a suitable replacement.
Krumholtz was 24 when the original Santa Clause premiered, and he was likely cast in the role of Bernard because of his youthful features. Now that twenty years have passed, it will be interesting to see if they attempt to de-age him significantly or merely reduce his size and have his elf character age along with him. That would certainly highlight the overall theme of the series, which will follow Calvin trying to find a way to retire and settle down with his family as he faces his 65th birthday.
Bernard and Scott have had ample time to bond over the years between the events of The Santa Clause 2 and the modern day. It will be interesting to see how their dynamic changes when The Santa Clauses picks up. Age will probably not have helped to make the character less grumpy, but seeing as that’s part of his indelible charm, audiences likely won’t want that to be the case.
