John Goodman and Chris Kattan will both star in a live-action version The Year Without a Santa Claus, one of the classic Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated holiday specials from the 70's.

Production Weekly reports that Ron Underwood will direct the telefilm on location in Louisiana beginning early July. Larry Wilson ("Beetle Juice") wrote the teleplay based on Phyllis McGinley book, which was the original literary source.

Saddened by the modernization and crass commercialism of Christmas, Santa Claus (Goodman) opts to cancel Christmas for the year. Mrs. Claus is intent on coaxing Santa out of his depressive funk, and appalled by Sparky's (Kattan) plans to replace Santa with a new, superhero-ish Extreme Santa.

Goodman, previously leant his voice to a psychotic Robo-Santa in an episode of Futurama.