Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium
David Eulitt/Getty Images
The NFL is expanding its media horizons yet again, teaming up with Hallmark to produce a holiday movie with football as a backdrop.
The film, which also counts Skydance Sports among its producers, is called Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (and no, it’s not not about that Chiefs love story). The movie stars Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley Jr. and is set to begin filming next month in Kansas City, Missouri, the hometown of both the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Hallmark.
“By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way,” said Darren Abbott, Hallmark’s chief branding officer.
Added Chiefs president Mark Donovan, “We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this. As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season.”
The production will use the city’s Arrowhead Stadium as one of its filming locations, marking the first time an NFL venue has featured in a Hallmark movie. The description for Holiday Touchdown reads as follows: “Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s Fan of the Year contest. Derrick (Hynes), director of fan engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists. As the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them — but when her grandfather’s (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs good luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick— unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.”
Skydance Sports, a joint venture between Skydance Media and the NFL, is executive producing Holiday Touchdown. The movie will air as part of Hallmark’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming later in the year.