Photo: Crown Media

It wouldn’t truly feel like Christmas on the Hallmark Channel without a new movie from network favorite Candace Cameron Bure, and we don’t have to wait long to hear about the latest one because it was announced today!

Bure will star in the Countdown to Christmas Hallmark Channel original movie, “Christmas Town,“ based off of the 2016 bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.

In the movie, Lauren Gabriel (Bure) leaves everything behind in Boston to embark on a new chapter in her life and career. But an unforeseen detour to the charming town of Grandon Falls has her discover unexpected new chapters – of the heart and of family – helping her to embrace, once again, the magic of Christmas.  Tim Rozon (“Wynonna Earp”) will co-lead in the role of Travis, a town local who helps Lauren out with a ride from the train station in to the town of Grandon Falls.

Photos: Melissa Claire Egan’s Official Twitter/Crown Media

This past February, Melissa Claire Egan posted a photo from the set of her new Christmas movie with co-star Marc Blucas. The two were working on “Holiday for Heroes” one of the films on the roster for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas holiday programming event later this year.

The two were huddled close among the snowy decorated set, but I was still able to clearly see that Egan was wearing a very familiar red coat! She’s wearing the Via Spiga Double Breasted Wool Skating Coat, which you may remember seeing on actress Jessica Lowndes in last year’s Hallmark film, “Christmas at Pemberley Manor”.

Photo: Crown Media

Today’s movie news is sure to be major for all my fellow Andrew Walker & Jodie Sweetin fans!

We didn’t get a new *Hallmark* Christmas movie from Walker last year but — not only did he return this spring for “Bottled with Love”, he’ll also appear alongside Sweetin (“Finding Santa”, “Entertaining Christmas”) for the ‘most wonderful time of the year’!

Walker and Sweetin will lead “Merry and Bright”, the story of Cate (Sweetin), CEO of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company, who meets Gabe (Walker) during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry & Bright’s operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.

Although the network will air a new movie during it’s Christmas in July programming, I think it’s likely that we’ll see “Merry and Bright” premiere during the Countdown to Christmas lineup later this year.

This marks the ninth new Christmas movie announcement from Crown Media this year — following “The Christmas Song“, “Holiday for Heroes,” “The Christmas Company,” “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses,” “Five Cards for Christmas,” “A Family Under The Christmas Tree,” a third installment to the ‘Graceland’ series and an untitled Blake Shelton-produced project.

Stay merry!

L-R: DeVitto and Murray | Photos: Crown Media

Last holiday season was quite the fête for “One Tree Hill” fans when several former cast members of the long-running drama appeared in four festive movies on Lifetime, and Chad Michael Murray, who starred in the series made his Hallmark Channel Christmas movie debut in “Road to Christmas”!

Well, now it’s just the gift that keeps on giving because we’re getting another mini reunion this year during the 10th anniversary of Hallmark’s holiday programming event, Countdown to Christmas.

Murray will join forces with former OTH co-stars Torrey DeVitto (“Best Christmas Party Ever”) and Drew Seeley (“A Christmas for the Books”) for a new movie, “Five Cards for Christmas” (w/t).

Brown and Pickler on set of ‘Christmas at Graceland’. | Photo: Crown Media

Following the success of last year’s original movie “Christmas at Graceland”, starring Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown as Laurel and Clay — former Memphis sweethearts who rekindled their romance during the most wonderful time of the year at Elvis Presley‘s mansion — Crown Media Family Networks have ordered two more sequels set to air this year.

“Wedding at Graceland” finds Laurel (Pickler) accepting Clay’s (Brown) marriage proposal only to discover they can get married at the Graceland Chapel in three weeks or wait 18 months for the next opening. In addition when Laurel and Clay’s family meet the two families discover they are more different than alike.

Logo via Netflix

Here’s a little movie update news for everyone who remembers when Deadline exclusively reported last October that Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) would be starring in David E. Talbert‘s new holiday film for Netflix.

The musical movie, “Jingle Jangle” follows Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker), a once-great inventor and toy maker who has lost his belief in himself and his inventions, but stumbles upon a second chance and a magical invention, when his granddaughter comes to town for the holidays. If he can get the thing to work in time for the holidays, it will change their lives forever.

It’s been the plan for months to begin filming this year with a Netflix 2020 premiere date in mind, but now the Talbert written-and-directed film has added a slew of talented actors to the cast list!

Yesterday afternoon Netflix’s Strong Black Lead Twitter account announced that Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, Creed, This Is Us), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, Toy Story 4, The Lion King), Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog, Dreamgirls), and Madalen Mills (Broadway’s School of Rock: The Musical), who will star as Whitaker’s granddaughter, have joined the film.

Update 07/11/19: As of now, Hugh Bonneville has also signed onto the film!

“Jingle Jangle” will be produced by Mike Jackson, John Legend, David E. Talbert, Lyn Sisson-Talbert, and David McIlvain with Ty Stiklorius stepped in as executive producer.

Stay merry!

Photos Used: Crown Media

Last year Hallmark debuted a record-breaking 37 original movies during the holiday season, but they’re ready to top themselves in 2019!

Crown Media Family Networks announced that they will be premiering 40 brand new films between their Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries networks later this year to help spread the joy of the season. While Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will debut 16, the remaining 24 will be celebrated during the 10th anniversary of the Countdown to Christmas holiday programming event on Hallmark Channel – including “Holiday for Heroes” and an untitled Blake Shelton project.

There are also plans to premiere a new movie during Hallmark Channel’s Keepsake Christmas, the annual event during July to coincide with Hallmark’s Keepsake Ornament Premiere preview in stores.

So, I’m guessing one of those 24 films will be that movie — and my guess is that it will be the previously announced “The Christmas Song” starring Kristin Chenoweth and Scott Wolf or, perhaps, the tentatively titled “A Family Under The Christmas Tree” starring Merritt Patterson (“The Christmas Cottage”, “Christmas at the Palace”) and Jon Cor (“Love on Safari”).

— Updated 07/14/2019: This movie has officially been named “Picture a Perfect Christmas”! —

Photo: Crown Media

Hallmark has featured Christmas programming mainly across their Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channels as well as Hallmark Movies Now, an on-demand streaming video service, but it looks at though they have plans to expand it to their Hallmark Drama station this year.

Crown Media announced last Friday that two new original reality programs would be added to Hallmark Drama this season, “Project Christmas Joy” and “Christmas Cookie Countdown”.

“Project Christmas Joy” – In this special, a town will received an extreme Hallmark holiday transformation. This includes an extravagant Christmas tree lighting to a Main Street Makeover, the series goal is to spread holiday cheer for a town that needs it the most.

“Christmas Cookie Countdown” – This five-episode competition series will feature some of the most talented amateur home bakers around the country in the most exciting yuletide cookie challenges the holiday season has ever seen. The series will be judged by a panel of three well-known pastry chefs and hosted by a rotating panel of beloved Hallmark stars who will be on hand to offer encouragement and support throughout the competition.

Air dates have not yet been announced.

Visit HallmarkDrama.com to find out where you can watch Hallmark Drama in your area!

Stay merry!

L-R: Matthew Davis, Jill Wagner, Donna Mills | Photos: The CW/Crown Media

According to ET Online, Hallmark Channel fan-favorite Jill Wagner will return for an all-new movie that’s set to premiere during the 10th anniversary of the network’s beloved holiday programming, Countdown to Christmas.

Wagner will lead “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” alongside Matthew Davis, best known for his roles on The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” and its spin-off “Legacies”, as well as television icon Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”, “General Hospital”).

The movie focuses on Wagner’s character, a single mom named Abbey who takes a leap of faith to pursue her passion for interior design. After landing a possible career-advancing job decorating the estate of a local businessman Nick Sinclair (played by Davis), Abbey learns that she must complete the job by Christmas Eve. How will she balance the fast approaching holiday and deadline while managing to break down the wall between her and Nick?

We’ll have to tune-in this holiday season to find out!

Mills, who previously starred in “12 Gifts of Christmas” (2015), will play the role of Nick’s mother.

While it will be a Hallmark debut for Davis, this film marks Wagner’s fourth Christmas movie for the network; she previously starred in “Christmas Cookies” (2016), “Maggie’s Christmas Miracle” (2017) and “Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa” (2018).

Stay merry!

Lamb and McIver in 2017’s A Christmas Prince | Photos: Netflix

Netflix announced some big news on Twitter today for fans of their original movie, “A Christmas Prince” today! The streaming service tweeted out a photo of a sonogram with the wording: “Baby makes 3”, which teases the third installment in the series that’s set to debut this holiday season!

“A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby” will follow last year’s “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding”, the follow-up to the 2017 original film “A Christmas Prince”, all of which star Rose McIver and Ben Lamb in the leading roles of Amber and Prince Richard, respectively.