Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies In The Works Starring Kristin Chenoweth, Scott Wolf & Melissa Claire Egan
Heartwarming original Christmas movies have arguably become the most important part of programming on both the Hallmark Channel and its sister station, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Earlier in the week, the Hallmark Channel announced that it will now air some of viewers’ favorite holiday movies all year long on Friday nights.
Now, in spite of Christmas being 10 long months away, Crown Media, the parent company of the two networks, revealed details about three of the new films it plans to broadcast later this year during the 2019 “Countdown to Christmas” event, and Entertainment Weekly got the scoop.
Ordered for a November premiere on the Hallmark Channel, the Christmas Song will feature Kristin Chenoweth as a youth choir director who is tasked with writing a new tune for a special Christmas Eve performance. However, she “finds herself distracted” by a boy with a great voice (Kevin Quinn) and his widowed father (Scott Wolf). The flick will be directed by Nashville actor Eric Close, who helmed the network’s Christmas at Graceland in 2018.
On Twitter, Chenoweth expressed her joy about the project and her co-stars.
“Anybody else already excited for [the Hallmark Channel’s] #CountdownToChristmas?” she asked. She added festive Christmas tree, red heart, and green heart emojis to her tweet.
Also in November, Melissa Claire Egan, Marc Blucas, and Patti Murin will star in Holiday for Heroes. The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film is about a woman (Egan) and a soldier (Blucas) who send letters to one another for a year “before their worlds collide.”
It’s Christmas in February!!!! SO excited to be shooting “Holiday For Heroes,” a Hallmark Christmas movie!?????
And this guy’s pretty rad too. @hallmarkchannel @hallmarkmovie pic.twitter.com/SBtruOlVyN— Melissa Claire Egan (@MClaireEgan) February 8, 2019
The third new movie announced will be executive produced by Blake Shelton, who previously served as EP for 2018’s Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas, and will also feature some of the country musician’s songs. The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries network film, which does not yet have a title, will be about an emotional trip home during the holiday season.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” campaign, and the company will surely want to top the number of movies produced for last year’s event, which was 37 brand-new films between the two networks.
It’s true it’s true! I’m in a @hallmarkchannel Christmas movie!!! “Holiday For Heroes” premieres this Christmas season!!! https://t.co/0oSi1gAeLL pic.twitter.com/RocIE9d8t6
— Patti Murin (@PattiMurin) February 8, 2019
Michelle Vicary, the executive vice president of programming for Crown Media, told Entertainment Weekly that the 2019 yuletide season will be the company’s “biggest” and “boldest” yet.
“Over the 10 years, we have endeavored to be the No. 1 holiday destination, and achieved that over the last several years. What was different about last year — and what’s going to be really big about this year — is just how culturally relevant this has become in people’s minds beyond the programming, where we have towns asking if they can decorate themselves like a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, and people having watch parties.”
