Four-time Tony Award-winning actor Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, Torch Song Trilogy, Mrs. Doubtfire) has joined the cast of NBC's The Year Without a Santa Claus, which stars John Goodman, Delta Burke, Chris Kattan, Ethan Suplee, Michael McKean Eddie Griffin and Carol Kane. The two-hour movie, based on the 1974 Rankin-Bass perennial that featured stop-motion animation, will air during the upcoming 2006 holiday season.

Fierstein will play Heatmiser, replacing the previously announced Chris Elliott, who had to bow out due to a scheduling conflict. When Santa Claus (Goodman) decides to take the year off and not deliver any gifts because he thinks people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas, his two closest elves, Jingle (Suplee) and Jangle (Griffin) set out to prove him wrong.

But their efforts are complicated by Heatmiser and Snowmiser (McKean), the two feuding sons of Mother Nature (Kane), whose help Jingle and Jangle will need if they want to save Christmas. Delta Burke stars as Mrs. Claus, and Chris Kattan plays Santa's devious head elf, Sparky, who schemes to take over Santa's job.

Mark Wolper (Salem's Lot, Helter Skelter) is the executive producer, and Ron Underwood (City Slickers, Mighty Joe Young) directs the two-hour movie from the Wolper Organization in association with Warner Bros. Television. The Year Without a Santa Claus is being filmed in Shreveport and Natchitoches, Louisiana.