ASHEVILLE – Christmas comes to Asheville twice this winter season.
Hallmark Channel has announced that one of its new original “Countdown to Christmas” movies will begin filming at the historic Biltmore Estate in January.
“A Biltmore Christmas” will star Bethany Joy Lenz (“Good Sam,” “An Unexpected Christmas”) and Kristoffer Polaha (“We Wish You a Married Christmas,” “Jurassic World: Dominion”).
The film is scheduled to premiere as part of Hallmark Channel’s 2023 “Countdown to Christmas” program.
Since 1895, classic holiday traditions of George W. Vanderbilt and his family, such as erecting the 35-foot Fraser fir Christmas tree in the ballroom, have been upheld and continue to attract visitors to the family home each year.
Although other productions have been filmed at the property, the Hallmark production will mark the first time a National Historic Landmark will serve as a setting for the Biltmore Estate.
More:Christmas at the Biltmore 2022 begins with the erection of a 35-foot-tall Fraser fir tree
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“Every year, we look for ways to create exciting, new holiday experiences for our audiences,” said Samantha DiPippo, executive vice president of development, programming, Hallmark Media, in a press release. “We know fans will love being transported back in time, and the iconic, beautiful Biltmore Estate is the perfect setting to help fans get into the holiday spirit.”
The film’s plot begins when screenwriter Lucy Collins (Lenz) is hired to write the script for a remake of “His Merry Bride!”, the beloved Christmas classic that was first filmed at the Biltmore House in 1947. Lucy travels to the estate and joins a guided tour. a tour of the historic home. Intrigued by a breathtaking hourglass she accidentally knocks over, she is transported back in time to 1946 – Hollywood’s golden age – and on set with the cast and crew of “His Merry Bride!” at the Biltmore.
As Lucy tries to blend in and navigate an unfamiliar place and time, she catches the eye of the main character, Jack Huston (Polaha). Lucy rejects his advances, but the duo share a connection that cannot be denied.
The sequence of events that occur after Lucy’s sudden appearance cannot be ignored either, and it puts the production in jeopardy. Lucy must make things right before she can return to the present or threaten to change the future forever.
Lucy gets one chance to go home even if it means saying goodbye to her potential soul mate. Or will the magic of Christmas prevent the curtain from closing on their love story?
“A Biltmore Christmas” will be directed by John Putch from a script by Marcy Holland. Dustin Rikert is the executive producer and Andrew Gernhard is the executive producer.
The film is set to take in the more than 8,000 acres of the Biltmore Estate, which included gardens designed by the “father of American landscape architecture,” Frederick Law Olmsted. Biltmore House is a 250-room French Renaissance mansion designed by Richard Morris Hunt.
For more on Biltmore, visit biltmore.com.
For more on Hallmark Channel, visit hallmarkchannel.com.
Tiana Kennell is a food and restaurant reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism by a Subscription to the Citizen Times.
