Williams (left) and Williams-Paisley (right) – Photos: Crown Media

We’ve been hearing about a double Christmas movie starring real-life sisters (and Hallmark faves!) Ashley Williams (“Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater”) and Kimberly Williams-Paisley (“Darrow Mysteries,” Father of the Bride) since, at least 2018, and now it’s officially in the works with air-dates set for this holiday season!

Crown Media announced today that the sisters have teamed up to executive produce two all-new original holiday movies movies, “Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday” and “Sister Swap: Christmas in the City,“ premiering this year during the annual (and iconic) Countdown to Christmas programming event on Hallmark Channel.

In the movies, Jennifer (Williams-Paisley) and Meg Swift (Williams) are sisters who couldn’t be closer despite living hours apart. Jennifer is in Salt Lake City, running a successful restaurant she started with her late husband and raising her teenaged son Simon (Jacob Buster, “Christmas Wonderland,” “Ballers”). Meg stayed in their hometown of Hazelwood, helping their parents run the local bakery. This Christmas is the family’s first since the passing of Uncle Dave (Kevin Nealon, “Man with a Plan,” “Weeds”) who owned the town’s beloved theater, The Madison, where many memories were made over the years.

When Jennifer and Simon return home for the holiday, they become wistful for one more Christmas at The Madison, despite that it’s for sale and in need of repairs. Meanwhile, Meg is helping Jennifer’s restaurant staff in Salt Lake prepare for a Christmas competition among local restaurants with the winner earning money for the charity of its choice. With the sisters switching cities leading up to the holiday, they find a new sense of purpose and discover what they both truly need in life and in love.

Keith Robinson (“Saints & Sinners,” “A Christmas Love Story”), Mark Deklin (“Marry Me at Christmas,” “Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa,” “Switched at Christmas”) and Susan Yeagley (“Parks and Recreation”) also star.

The movies will be interconnected through the journeys of the two sisters, with one movie focusing on Meg in her hometown and the other on Jennifer’s life in Salt Lake City. This is a unique approach to film making, and Hallmark in particular as viewers will not need to watch both films in order to follow the story — although watching both will certainly enhance the viewing experience and holiday cheer.

About the mission to make these movies, Williams said in a statement: “Making these movies was a dream come true, especially because making Christmas movies where sisterhood is the focus felt bold. We had the idea to make a movie where Kim and I play sisters, and then we got ambitious. So, we decided we would make two movies where we play sisters. And then we decided to go even further. So, the two movies take place in the exact same time frame, and the movies cross over and even share some scenes, but from each sister’s different perspective. We built two interconnected movies and shot them simultaneously in Utah. Our writers and our director, Sean McNamara, and our Hallmark team knew it was a puzzle and challenge, but everyone rose to the occasion.”

“It has been a life-long dream of ours to work together, and it was even better than we imagined. So good, in fact, we decided that from now on, every project we do should be with each other. That would be fantastic!,” Williams-Paisley enthused. “We got to play sisters in a movie about family and behind the scenes, it truly felt like one – from my real-life sister producing and co-starring with me, to my brother-in-law also producing, and dear life-long friends playing several key roles. It was a very special experience.”

Ashley Williams’ husband, Neal Dodson (“Triple Frontier,” “Margin Call”) also serves as executive producer. Sean McNamara directed from a script by Claire Boyles, and Zac Hug from a story by Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott.

In addition to “Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater,” Williams’ past Hallmark Christmas movies include the “Christmas in Evergreen” franchise, “Northern Lights of Christmas,” and “Holiday Hearts”. Williams-Paisley previously starred in “A Nashville Christmas Carol” and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of “The Christmas Train”.

Stay merry!