Disney+ dropped major news during its debut on the D23 Expo stage on August 23, 2019. Along with premiering trailers from series debuting this year or early 2020, the soon-to-be-launched subscription service revealed six new previously unannounced shows.
“With less than three months until launch, Disney+ will soon entertain and inspire audiences of all ages for generations to come, and we’re excited to preview some of the amazing original content being created for the service exclusively from our world-class brands today at the D23 Expo,” stated Kevin Mayer, chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International. “Storytelling is the cornerstone of The Walt Disney Company and we’re thrilled to unveil a new slate of original shows from the Star Wars and Marvel cinematic universes, along with popular television franchises set to return with all-new series streaming only on Disney+.”
New Disney+ Series Announcements:
Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new untitled series from Lucasfilm.
Kevin Feige announced Marvel Studios is developing three new live-action series: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and She-Hulk, all derived from Marvel comics.
Hilary Duff will reprise the role she made famous in an all-new Lizzie McGuire series from Terri Minsky.
40 years after leaving the swamp in his big screen debut in The Muppet Movie, Kermit the Frog is heading upstream with Miss Piggy, and the gang, bringing a new kind of mayhem and laughter to Disney+ with their first-ever unscripted short-form series, Muppets Now.
A scene from ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ (Disney+/Fred Hayes)
The 2019 D23 event, held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, found talent from the slate of upcoming shows taking the stage to promote the launch of Disney’s version of Hulu and Netflix. Disney+ will be available beginning November 12th for $6.99 a month or $69.99 annually.
The D23 presentation included appearances by the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Julia Lester, Larry Saperstein, Dara Reneé, Frankie A. Rodriguez, Kate Reinders, and Mark St. Cyr. The 10 episode series is guided by showrunner Tim Federle and is “set at the real-life East High, where the original movie was filmed, and follows a group of students as they countdown to opening night of their school’s first-ever production of High School Musical.”
The Disney+ presentation revealed first looks at the live-action Lady and the Tramp; the holiday comedy, Noelle, starring Anna Kendrick and Billy Eichner; and the 12 episode National Geographic series The World According to Jeff Goldblum starring and hosted by Jeff Goldblum.
Series set to premiere on the subscription service in 2020 include Diary of a Female President starring Tess Romero and executive produced by Gina Rodriguez and the animated series Monsters at Work inspired by Monsters, Inc. and featuring the voices of Ben Feldman and Aisha Tyler.
Kathleen Kennedy confirmed the new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will consist of 12 episodes arriving in 2020. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex will all be featured in the upcoming season.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will arrive in 2020 with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprising their roles. The series will be set after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will feature Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.
Avengers Vision and Wanda Maximoff are pairing up for Marvel Studios’ WandaVision debuting in 2021. Paul Bettany steps back into his Vision character and Elizabeth Olsen returns as Wanda. The 2021 series will also feature Kat Dennings and Randall Park reprising their characters from Thor and Ant-Man and The Wasp. The series will channel the tone of classic sitcoms while set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Per Disney+, WandaVision finds the “two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives who begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.”
Tom Hiddleston is confirmed to step back into the role of MCU fan favorite Loki for a series of the same name. Kate Herron is directing and Michael Waldron is on board as the head writer, with Disney+ aiming for a 2021 premiere. The series will be set after the events of Avengers: Endgame.
In other Star Wars news, Rogue One stars Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk are continuing their involvement with the sci-fi universe in the second Star Wars live-action series. According to Lucasfilm, the untitled series follows “Cassian Andor’s adventures as a rebel spy during the formative years of the Rebellion, before the events of A New Hope.”
Whatever you expected from The Mandalorian, odds are the trailer delivered on your expectations tenfold. Disney+ hosted its first panel at the Disney fanfest, D23, providing ticket holders and then the internet with a glimpse at what’s in store for the brand new streaming platform. The Mandalorian‘s trailer was one of the big reveals, and Lucasfilm and Disney used the opportunity to also announce a new cast member.
Ming-Na Wen from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (and the voice of Mulan) has joined the cast of the genre-blending series.
Pedro Pascal (Narcos, Game of Thrones) stars in the title role. The cast also includes Gina Carano (Deadpool, Haywire), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Emily Swallow (Supernatural, How to Get Away with Murder), Carl Weathers (Predator, the Rocky film franchise), Omid Abtahi (American Gods, Damien), Werner Herzog (Oscar nominated director of Encounters at the End of the World), and Nick Nolte (Affliction, A Walk in the Woods).
Taiki Waititi, creator of What We Do in the Shadows and director of Thor: Ragnarok, will be bringing the droid IG-11 to life in the series.
The Mandalorian was created by series writer Jon Favreau and is executive produced by Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Filoni, Waititi, Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, and Rick Famuyiwa directed episodes of the first season.
Disney+ will launch on November 12th, with the first episode of The Mandalorian debuting that day to subscribers. The service will cost $6.99 a month or $69.99 annually, according to Disney.
The Plot:
“After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.”
Pedro Pascal is The Mandalorian in the Disney+ series ‘The Mandalorian’ (Photo credit: 2019 Lucasfilm Ltd)
Gwynn and Garret are set to be reunited in The CW’s The Outpost season two episode eight, “A Crown for the Queen.” Episode eight will air on August 29, 2019 and was directed by Milan Todorovic from a script by Katherine DiSavino.
New episodes of season two arrive on Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT.
The season two cast is led by Jessica Green as Talon. Imogen Waterhouse plays Gwynn, Anand Desai-Barochia is Janzo, Jake Stormoen is Captain Garret Spears, Philip Brodie is Everit Dred, Robyn Malcolm is The Mistress, and Andrew Howard plays Marshal Withers.
Jason Faller and Kynan Griffin created the series and serve as executive producers with Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson. Jennifer Griffin and Jonathan English produce.
“The A Crown For The Queen” Plot – SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO THE PLAN – Talon (Green) and Zed (guest star Reece Ritchie) pursue a cold-blooded killer in a bold rescue attempt. Gwynn (Waterhouse) tasks Janzo (Desai-Barochai) with finding a cure for the plaguelings, as well as a delusional patient. Gwynn and Garret (Stormoen) are reunited.
The Outpost Plot:
“Having defeated Dred and retaken the Outpost, Talon (Green) and Gwynn prepare for war. Talon delves deeper into demon summoning, while Gwynn (Waterhouse) recruits allies. The Prime Order trinity known as “The Three” reveal mysterious powers as they send spies, assassins, and a devastating weapon to the Outpost. As Talon uncovers the legacy of her people, she must decide who to trust, and separate her real friends from her enemies before the Prime Order attacks.”
Season two of USA Network’s The Purge will premiere on October 15, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by the series premiere of Treadstone at 10pm ET/PT. The Purge is, obviously, based on the horror film franchise. Treadstone exists in the same world as the Jason Bourne films.
Season one of The Purge ranked as USA Network’s number one scripted series among adults 18 to 54. The series was created by James DeMonaco, the filmmaker behind The Purge movies. DeMonaco executive produces with Sébastien K. Lemercier; Krystal Houghton Ziv, James Roland, Tim Andrew, Thomas Kelly, and Jason Blum. Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form also executive produce.
The series is a Blumhouse Television and UCP production.
Treadstone was developed and executive produced by Tim Kring. Ben Smith, Jeffrey Weiner, Dan Friedkin, and Bradley Thomas also executive produce.
The season one cast features Michelle Forbes as Ellen Becker, Patrick Fugit as Stephen Haynes, Michael Gaston as Dan Levine, Shruti Haasan as Nira Patel, and Hyo Joo Han as SoYun. Tess Haubrich is Samantha, Tracy Ifeachor is Tara Coleman, and Jeremy Irvine plays J. Randolph Bentley.
The first season also stars Omar Metwally as Matt Edwards, Gabrielle Scharnitzky as Petra, Emilia Schüle as a KGB Agent, and Brian J. Smith as Doug McKenna.
The Purge Plot:
“Based on the hit movie franchise, The Purge revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Season 2 explores how a single Purge night affects the lives of four interconnected characters over the course of the ensuing year, all inevitably leading up to the next Purge. The second season of the anthology series opens on Purge night but dives deeper than ever before in to what the Purge world looks like the other 364 days of the year.”
The Treadstone Plot:
“Treadstone is an action-packed thriller set amidst the CIA black ops program Operation Treadstone. Treadstone explores the origin story and present-day actions of the infamous covert program that uses behavior modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly superhuman assassins.
The first season of Treadstone follows sleeper agents across the globe as they’re mysteriously ‘awakened’ to resume their deadly missions.”
Russell Crowe stars in ‘Unhinged’ (Photo Credit: : Skip Bolden)
Solstice Studios just unveiled the first look at Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in the psychological thriller, Unhinged. The drama’s expected to finish up production in New Orleans this weekend, with a target theatrical release of the third quarter of 2020.
Unhinged is the first Solstice Studios production since the company launched.
Derrick Borte (American Dreamer) directs from a screenplay by Carl Ellsworth (Disturbia, Red Eye). Commenting on the production, Borte stated, “The mark of a great film is one that both entertains and sparks conversation. I believe, in a very terrifying way, Unhinged does exactly that.”
In addition to Russell Crowe, the cast includes Caren Pistorius (Slow West, Gloria Bell), Gabriel Bateman (American Gothic, Child’s Play), and Jimmi Simpson (Under the Silver Lake, Westworld). Borte’s behind the scenes team includes director of photography Brendan Galvin, editor Steve Mirkovich, production designer Freddy Waff, and costume designer Denise Wingate.
The Plot:
“This psychological thriller takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of Rachel (Pistorius), a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy (Crowe). Road rage doesn’t begin to describe what he is about to do to her and everyone she knows.”
Dwayne Johnson in season 5 episode 2 of ‘Ballers’ (Photo: Jeff Daly/HBO)
The upcoming fifth season of HBO’s Ballers starring Dwayne Johnson will be the show’s final season. HBO made the announcement while releasing details on the season five episodes.
Ballers‘ eight-episode season five premieres on August 25, 2019 at 10:30pm ET/PT.
Dwayne Johnson returns to lead the cast that includes Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Omar Miller, London Brown, Troy Garity, Brittany S. Hall, and Russell Brand. Carl McDowell, Jazmyn Simon, Jay Glazer, Mark Schlereth, Robert Wisdom, Richard Schiff, Steven Weber, and Emayatzy Corinealdi return as guest stars.
Ballers season five new guest stars include Catherine Haena Kim, Odell Beckham Jr., Melvin Gordon, Rick Fox, Mikey Alfred, Randy Couture, DeAndre Hopkins, Derwin James, Von Miller, Malcolm Jenkins, and Dante Fowler, Jr.
The Season 5 Plot:
This season finds Spencer (Johnson) settling into retirement and reflecting on his past, when an offer that’s too good to refuse comes his way and sends him back into the lion’s den, this time as a team owner. In the wake of his split with Spencer, an ambitious Joe (Corddry) gambles aggressively to make Sports X greater than ever with the help of his new partner, Lance (Brand). Meanwhile, Ricky (Washington) has a startling setback that forces him to consider a new kind of future and tests his physical, mental and emotional resolve; Charles (Miller) learns that being a general manager means getting your hands dirty; Vernon (Carter) shifts his focus to his love of professional gaming despite Reggie’s (Brown) wariness; and Jason (Garity) decides to take his career to the next level.
Ballers Season 5 Episode Descriptions and Air Dates:
Episode #501 (season 5, episode 1): “Protocol is for Losers”
Debut date: SUNDAY, AUG. 25 (10:35-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
While peacefully enjoying retirement and reflecting on his past, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) gets a tantalizing offer. A year after splitting with Spencer, Joe (Rob Corddry) eyes a big swing at Sports X with his new partner, Lance (Russell Brand). Ricky (John David Washington) finds himself in hot water with Charles (Omar Miller), and Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) considers a life change, much to Reggie’s (London Brown) chagrin.
Written by Stephen Levinson & Rob Weiss; directed by Chloe Domont.
Episode #502 (season 5, episode 2): “Must Be the Shoes”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 1 (10:35-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
After learning of competing owner offers, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) engages with past allies. Joe (Rob Corddry) is tasked with apologizing for creating a hostile work environment with the help of Kate (Catherine Haena Kim), a sharp Sports X exec. Ricky (John David Washington) and Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) each consider different kinds of futures, while Charles (Omar Miller) tries to hide some unwelcome news.
Written by Rob Weiss & Stephen Levinson; directed by Chloe Domont.
Episode #503 (season 5, episode 3): “Copernicursed”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 8 (10:40-11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
Just as Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) reaches out to him with the job of a lifetime, Jason (Troy Garity) gets an interesting counteroffer from Joe (Rob Corddry). Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) has a tryout at an e-sports company and Reggie (London Brown) bemoans his position at Sports X. Ricky (John David Washington) turns to old ways to deal with his new situation. Charles (Omar Miller) considers a solution to another headache.
Written by Stephen Levinson & Rob Weiss; directed by Chloe Domont.
Episode #504 (season 5, episode 4): “Municipal”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 15 (10:40-11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) settles into his new position and makes a potentially unpopular decision. With Sports X teetering on the edge financially, Joe (Rob Corddry) gets sidetracked with his personal life. Ricky (John David Washington) tries his hand in the media and voices his true feelings about an ally. Reggie (London Brown) comes to Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) with a proposal that will make them both happy.
Written by Rob Weiss & Stephen Levinson; directed by Rob Weiss.
Episode #505 (season 5, episode 5): “Crumbs”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 (10:35-11:05 p.m. ET/PT)
Spencer faces pressure from all sides as he fights for Kisan. Ricky (John David Washington) gets mixed feedback about his radio show. Reggie (London Brown), Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) and Lance (Russell Brand) struggle to convince Joe (Rob Corddry) to invest in a new business. Charles (Omar Miller) works hard to land a big player. Jason (Troy Garity) goes through tough negotiations with the Anderson brothers.
Written by Stephen Levinson & Rob Weiss; directed by Rob Weiss.
Episode #506 (season 5, episode 6): “Entertainment”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
In the wake of an unexpected tragedy, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) prepares for his first owners meeting. While trying to balance work and his relationship with Kate (Catherine Haena Kim), Joe (Rob Corddry) decides to go on Ricky’s (John David Washington) radio show. Charles (Omar Miller) deals with an unexpected health crisis in the middle of his busiest time at work. Vernon (Donovan W. Carter), Reggie (London Brown) and Lance (Russell Brand) try to recruit a trio of gaming siblings for their new league. Jason (Troy Garity) celebrates his anniversary.
Written by Jason Lew; directed by Simon Cellan Jones.
Episode #507 (season 5, episode 7): “Who Wants a Lollipop”
Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 6 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
When Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) returns to the Sports X offices to work out a major player deal, he and Joe (Rob Corddry) air past grievances and later, Spencer makes a big public statement that’s sure to have consequences. Charles (Omar Miller) mulls over a new deal from Werner after getting a wakeup call about his health. Ricky (John David Washington) gets defensive in a meeting with a Hollywood bigwig who has ambitious plans for his future. Vernon (Donovan W. Carter), Reggie (London Brown) and Lance (Russell Brand) arrive at their first Esports tournament as underdogs.
Written by Rob Weiss & Stephen Levinson; directed by Simon Cellan Jones.
Episode #508 (season 5, episode 8): “Players Only”
Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 13 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Despite having a bullseye on his back, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) refuses to back down in his fight for the league’s players. Joe (Rob Corddry) embraces a new state of mind as he finds peace with himself. Julie (Jazmyn Simon) encourages Charles (Omar Miller) to take care of unfinished business. Ricky (John David Washington) decides to strike out on his own with his latest project. Reggie (London Brown) takes the next step in his career, with some encouragement from Vernon (Donovan W. Carter).
Written by Stephen Levinson & Rob Weiss; directed by Chloe Domont.
Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler in Lionsgate’s ‘Angel Has Fallen’ (Photo Credit: Jack English)
“Mike Banning, you’re being charged with the attempted murder of the President of the United States,” says FBI agent Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) to Secret Service Agent Banning (Gerard Butler) in the third entry of the action film franchise, Angel Has Fallen.
Mike Banning’s life is good and looking to get even better. He has a beautiful and loving wife (Piper Perabo), a cute baby daughter, and he’s about to be promoted to Director of the Secret Service. The only problem is that all the shootouts and fights he has endured in his line of work have left him with some fairly constant pain and discomfort.
It’s while Banning is guarding President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) on a fishing trip that he, the President, and the rest of the security team are attacked in an assassination attempt on Trumbull perpetrated via drones. Thanks to Banning’s quick thinking and immediate actions, he and Trumbull survive but are wounded. Trumbull ends up unconscious.
Banning is handcuffed to the bed when he wakes in the hospital. Shocked, he’s informed by the lead FBI agent investigating the assassination attempt that he’s being charged with trying to kill the United States President. With some unintentional help from the real assassination team, Mike escapes custody and goes on the run. He’s forced to evade the FBI and his own agency to clear his name and find out who set him up and who really wants the U.S. President dead.
Preposterous and unoriginal, Angel Has Fallen borrows heavily from superior action films including The Fugitive and Sniper. Unlike the first two installments, this third film of the series features unimpressive and sometimes blurred action scenes. It’s a dismal end to a film series that should never have attempted a trilogy.
So much is wrong with Angel Has Fallen it’s hard to know where to begin. The script is absurd, littered with dumb dialogue and ridiculous character motivations. The plot is predictable, and the real villains are painfully obvious long before they are revealed. The action scenes are horribly lit and choreographed.
Angel Has Fallen is such an awful and ludicrous movie that it sets a new low bar for action films.
GRADE: F
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language throughout
Megan Hilty and Marcus Rosner star in ‘Sweet Mountain Christmas’ (Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2019)
Yes, August is way, way too early to be talking about the winter holidays. Nevertheless, Lifetime decided to get a super early start on the year-end holiday season by announcing their “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” programming lineup.
This year’s holiday lineup will include their biggest slate of holiday movies to date, with 28 films helping to ring in the holidays. The “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” event will kick off on October 25th with Sweet Mountain Christmas and runs through Christmas.
Among the stars featured in the holiday lineup are Kelly Rowland, Melissa Joan Hart, Tia Mowry-Hardrict, and Vanessa Lachey. Hilarie Burton, Megan Hilty, Sarah Drew, Tatyana Ali, Jana Kramer, and Soleil Moon Frye also star in various “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” films.
Other actors starring in the holiday fare include Marla Sokoloff, Kim Fields, Erin Cahill, Tiya Sircar, Kyla Pratt, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Marie Osmond, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Loretta Devine, George Stults, and Ryan McPartlin.
Country music star Laney Blu (Hilty) hasn’t been back to her Tennessee hometown in years. It wasn’t the kindest place to grow up, so when her career skyrocketed at seventeen she was happy to leave it behind. Though she’s set to headline a Christmas concert in NYC, Laney decides to make a quick pit-stop to see her family. When a freak snowstorm hits, she finds herself stranded in the town, and is roped into taking part in a local Christmas concert.
As Laney spends more time in her hometown, it becomes less and less like she remembered it. She begins to fall in the love with the people, place and just maybe, a handsome snowplow driver named Robbie (Rosner). When the storm lets up, will Laney head off to NYC or will home be where her heart is?
THE ROAD HOME FOR CHRISTMAS starring Marla Sokoloff, Rob Mayes & Marie Osmond (October 26)
Two rival musicians, Lindsay (Sokoloff) and Wes (Mayes), who perform in a dueling piano show, suddenly find themselves without a gig on Christmas Eve and decide to road trip to their neighboring hometowns together. During the drive, the mismatched pair find themselves surrounded by Santa conventioneers, saving a Christmas nativity play, performing onstage in Nashville with music royalty (Osmond), and braving a massive snowstorm which just may lead them to making sweet music together.
NO TIME LIKE CHRISTMAS starring Kyla Pratt, Ed Ruttle, Rachel McLaren & Jim O’Heir (October 27)
After Emma (Pratt) finds her college boyfriend’s engraved watch at a vintage jewelry shop, her sister Bronwyn (McLaren) believes it is a sign, and decides to secretly play cupid by sending Emma to the same bed and breakfast in Vermont that Fletcher (Ruttle) is staying at one week before Christmas. However, upon arrival, Emma is not only shocked to bump into her first love after all these years, but also his vivacious daughter. Throughout the week, the two fight their feelings for one another as they plan a Christmas Eve show in hopes of saving the local theater.
CHRISTMAS RESERVATIONS starring Melissa Joan Hart, Ricardo Chavira, Ted McGinley, Michael Gross & Markie Post (November 2)
It’s Christmas at the Treeline Ski Resort, where Holly (Hart) is the event coordinator at her family lodge. She plans every event and keeps all the guests happy. But when her college sweetheart, (Chavira) now widowed with two children, checks in, Holly discovers she has her own reservations about life and love.
When marketing exec Lucy (Lawson, Hamilton) learns that she’s inherited her grandfather’s year-round Christmas store, “Forever Christmas,” she makes a trip back home to support the store during its final Christmas season before she sells it to a hip athletic leisurewear company. But once she is back in Vermont, she begins to understand why her grandfather’s shop is so special with the help of local diner owner, Scott (Ghanimé) and the magic of a Christmas stranger from the north (Broderick).
RADIO CHRISTMAS starring Keshia Knight Pulliam, Michael Xavier, Tim Reid & Belinda Montgomery (November 9)
When her Philadelphia radio station is closed for repairs during the holidays, DJ Kara Porter (Pulliam) is forced to broadcast from the small town of Bethlehem. Desperate to increase her numbers and get promoted outside of Radio Christmas – a year-round Christmas station, Kara seeks to uncover the identity of the town’s Secret Santa, an anonymous benefactor that saved all of Bethlehem’s Christmas festivities. Along the way, she discovers the true meaning of family, community, love and of course, Christmas.
A SWEET CHRISTMAS starring Adelaide Kane, Greyston Holt & Loretta Devine (November 10)
When food stylist Holly (Kane) returns home for Christmas, she learns that Loretta (Devine), the elderly owner of her favorite childhood bakery, is retiring and has started a contest to give the bakery away to whoever can recreate her famous 12 Days of Christmas recipes. Holly enters, despite not being much of cook. When a local baker named Brad (Holt) also enters the contest, the two adversaries end up cooking up something special together for the holidays.
CHRISTMAS A LA MODE starring Katie Leclerc, Ryan Cooper, Jennifer Ellis, Caroline Keeler & Kathy Harum (November 15)
Since her father passed away, Emily (Leclerc) has been running her family’s dairy farm with the help of her mother and best friend. But this Christmas, the farm has fallen on hard times so Emily’s sister, Dorothy (Ellis)–who is part owner with Emily–and her handsome business partner, Charlie (Cooper) – show up with a proposition to sell the farm. Emily comes up with an ingenious plan to buy out her sister’s shares and hold an online holiday ice cream flavor contest that goes viral with the help of a key ingredient, Charlie’s amazing apple pie.
Christmas à la Mode ice cream is born! Still as the Christmas Eve deadline for the buyout approaches, Emily needs a Christmas miracle to save the farm and her father’s legacy in time for a happy Christmas.
CHRISTMAS IN LOUISIANA starring Jana Kramer, Percy Daggs III, Moira Kelly, Brian McNamara Dee Wallace & Barry Bostwick (November 16)
The Winter Family is Christmas royalty in New Iberia, Louisiana, and Sarah Winter (Kramer), a successful lawyer and former Miss Christmas, is no exception. When she returns home to celebrate the anniversary of the town’s Sugarcane Christmas Festival with her mother (Kelly) and her grandparents (Wallace and Bostwick), she rediscovers the magic of the season–and a little romance– with her former Mister Christmas, Luke (Daggs III).
RANDOM ACTS OF CHRISTMAS starring Erin Cahill, Kevin McGarry, Patrick Duffy & Jaclyn Smith (November 17)
While uncovering who is behind the random acts of Christmas popping up around her city, investigative journalist, Sydney (Cahill) meets a competing reporter, Cole (McGarry), who ignites her Christmas spirit and captures her heart, but may not be the man he claims to be. Also stars Jaclyn Smith and Patrick Duffy.
A pair of magical shoes step into Kayla Hummel’s (Karpluk) holiday season, allowing her to rediscover her Christmas spirit and find love too.
TWINKLE ALL THE WAY starring Sarah Drew, Ryan McPartlin & Lesley Ann Warren (November 23)
To pull off a spectacular Christmas themed wedding at the exclusive Snowview Lodge, wedding planner, Cadence Clark (Drew) – joins forces with Henry Harrison (McPartlin), co-owner of a family-run Christmas decoration and house-lighting company. Cadence and Henry, both single parents of young daughters, grow closer as they contribute to each others’ projects – Cadence with the wedding and Henry with his high-profile client, Mrs. Sutton (Warren), and her annual VIP Christmas Eve party.
However, a snow storm threatens to wreak havoc on the wedding. But with help from Henry, family, and some holiday magic, Cadence may just be able to pull off the wedding and perhaps fall in love along the way.
CHRISTMAS 9 TO 5 starring Tiya Sircar & George Wendt (November 24)
Jennifer (Sircar) is a tough crime beat reporter who gets the assignment of her life: to find the true meaning of Christmas. When she goes undercover in a department store as a 9 to 5 sales clerk from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, she finds her true calling and meets the man of her dreams. It’s a Christmas she will never forget.
A VERY VINTAGE CHRISTMAS starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Jesse Hutch & Patricia Richardson (November 27)
The Christmas lights are up and shoppers are flooding the quaint town of Mountain View, including one special store, Very Vintage Antiques. The shop’s owner, Dodie (Mowry-Hardrict), is a hopeless romantic and absolutely one of a kind, similar to the pieces in her shop. When Dodie finds a hidden box containing an eclectic collection of mementos chronicling a timeless romantic union, she makes it her mission to deliver it to its rightful owner. Dodie manages to persuade the handsome new tenant, Edward (Hutch), at the listed address to help her with her search. Will they find the true owner and true love on their adventure?
A CHRISTMAS WISH starring Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Megan Park, Cristian de la Fuente & Pam Grier (November 28)
Every December in the small town of Ponchatoula, Louisiana a wooden wishing box is placed in the park as a Christmas tradition. People write down their true heart’s desire on a slip of paper and place it in the box in hopes that their wish will be granted. After a night out together, Maddie (Park) encourages her sister Faith (Burton) to put a wish in the box – a wish to experience true love for the first time. Faith and Maddie are surprised the next day when she meets the very handsome and eligible Andrew (de la Fuente).
At first, Faith thinks that her Christmas wish has come true. But as Christmas nears, Faith begins to wonder if Andrew is really perfect for her, or if the wish is leading her to her best friend, Wyatt (Hilton).
Also starring Lee Norris, Antwon Tanner, Bruce MacVittie, Madeleine McGraw, Aidan McGraw, Willie Garson, Colin Fickes, Rhoda Griffis, Barbara Alyn Woods, and Ryan Cabrera.
STAGING CHRISTMAS starring Soleil Moon Frye, George Stults & Jaleel White (Lifetime on November 29)
Lori (Moon Frye) stages homes for a living and her busiest season is Christmas! Though she normally only stages homes that are for sale, she’s intrigued when a wealthy widower named Elliot (Stults) asks her to stage his home for the holidays to cheer up his daughter, Maddie. As Lori starts remaking Elliott’s home, she finds that Maddie isn’t the only one in desperate need of the Christmas spirit.
As Lori spends more and more time with Elliot and Maddie, she starts to feel like part of the family. While she was initially hired to simply stage the perfect Christmas in their house, she ends up creating it for the father and daughter in every way imaginable.
MERRY LIDDLE CHRISTMAS starring Kelly Rowland (Lifetime on November 30)
Marking her first foray into producing for television, Kelly Rowland partners with Kronicle Media for Merry Liddle Christmas. Inspired by her own recent Christmas catastrophe, Kelly Rowland plays Jacquie– a successful, super-together single tech entrepreneur whose messy family descends on her gleaming new dream home for the holidays.
Christmas traditions collide and family drama ensues as she struggles to keep her house together in time for a glossy video shoot of “the perfect Christmas.” On top of that, the possibility of romance with a new neighbor has Jacquie questioning all her dating rules, so even though this isn’t the Christmas she envisioned, it might just be the most magical one yet.
A STORYBOOK CHRISTMAS starring Ali Liebert, Jake Epstein & Habree Larratt (Lifetime on December 6)
If event planner Celeste Everett (Liebert) is going to save her business and give her niece a happy Christmas season, she is going to need help. When the nanny she hires turns out to be a man (Epstein), Celeste surprisingly realizes she may have also found Christmas love for herself.
MATCHMAKER CHRISTMAS starring Corey Sevier & Emily Rose (Lifetime on December 7)
As the Christmas party for a book publishing company approaches, editor Maggie volunteers to help her boss Amanda find a date. Matchmaking is a bit of a hobby for Maggie, but she is thrown off her game when Jaxson, her old boyfriend from her college years, shows up at her work – as a newly signed, successful author. Maggie would love to deny she feels anything for him still, but Jaxson isn’t making it easy. She’ll have to face her decisions of the past, along with Amanda eyeing Jaxson, to bring together the perfect matches at Christmas.
A DOGGONE CHRISTMAS starring Vanessa Lachey & Christopher Russell (Lifetime on December 7)
When Marla’s (Lachey) dog runs away on Christmas Eve, she must team up with her ex-boyfriend Max (Christopher Russell) to find him. As the pup leads the exes on an all-day-and-night search through their North Carolina hometown, they revisit people, places and things that remind them of the Christmas pasts they spent together.
GROUNDED FOR CHRISTMAS starring Julianna Guill & Corey Sevier (Lifetime on December 8)
When a winter storm hits Cleveland and grounds flights, the nearby hotels quickly fill up with stranded travelers. Nina (Guill), a pilot, reluctantly agrees to let her arrogant but charming fellow pilot, Brady (Sevier), stay at her nearby parents’ home. But when they discover her family is hosting a tree trimming party that night and that her ex will be there, Brady pretends to be her boyfriend to help her out.
When the snowstorm continues, their ruse snowballs as Nina and Brady are stuck attending holiday events together. But as Christmas nears, these two opposites begin to realize the best gift they could ever receive, is perhaps, each other.
A CHRISTMAS MELODY starring Erica Durance & J.T. Hodges (Lifetime on December 13)
When aspiring R&B artist Layla (Durance) crosses paths with amateur songwriter Spence (Hodges), she thinks she’s found her shot at finally getting a record deal. But as the holidays approach, the fast-paced, high stakes music business threatens to change their sound and relationship – especially when the label executives begin to see Spence as the real star.
YOU LIGHT UP MY CHRISTMAS starring Kim Fields & Adrian Holmes (Lifetime on December 14)
Inspired by true events, Emma (Fields) returns to her hometown built around her family’s pioneer Christmas Light Factory two weeks before Christmas. However upon Emma’s return, she discovers the lights have gone dim in the once festive town, prompting her to reconnect with an old flame to set their hearts and the town ablaze with light again.
REDISCOVERING CHRISTMAS (Lifetime on December 15)
Mia is a window dresser in a big city department store, living and breathing Christmas for months to get the store ready for the holidays. But now that the season is actually near, she’s a little burned out on holly, sugarplums and Santas of all shapes and sizes. All she wants is a tropical beach getaway with her sister Sara. But, plans change when Sara begs for Mia’s help putting on the annual Snowflake festival in their home town in Vermont. Just when she thought she was out – Santa pulls her back in!
THE CHRISTMAS TEMP (Lifetime on December 20)
An out of work artist discovers a special Christmas temp agency that matches her with a handful of festive jobs, but falls into a creative rut while juggling holiday preparations and feelings for the agency’s HR manager.
THE CHRISTMAS HOTEL starring Tatyana Ali (December 21)
Erin (Ali) grew up in the small town of Mt. Holly but always dreamt of living in a big city. Her first job – working the desk at the Mt. Holly Inn – started her on a path to New York where she now works at the prestigious Windsor Hotel. When her boss tells her she will receive a promotion if she can pull off a big project, she is thrilled – until she realizes the project is in her hometown.
Erin returns home to discover that the locals don’t appreciate their precious Mt. Holly Inn being bought out by a big corporation. And heading up the charge? Erin’s ex-boyfriend Conner. But when several hotel staff members come down with the flu, Erin is forced to enlist Conner’s help with hotel’s Christmas events. As they two re-establish their relationship, Erin has to figure out if what she really wants is a promotion or to be home again.
Syfy’s popular vampire series, Van Helsing, is set to return for its fourth season on September 27, 2019. The upcoming season will find Tricia Helfer (Lucifer) tackling the role of Dracula, and Nicole Muñoz (Defiance), Richard Harmon (The 100), Keeya King (Jigsaw), and pro wrestler Big Show as new series regulars. Muñoz, no stranger to the science fiction genre, will be playing a mysterious character named Jack who’s spent the time since the vampire apocalpyse on her own fighting off the blood-thirsty creatures.
Nicole Muñoz joined the cast at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con for her first panel as a member of Van Helsing. She also participated in roundtable interviews to delve into her role on the show – without giving away any spoilers.
How exciting is it to join Van Helsing for season four?
Nicole Muñoz: “It’s really exciting, especially a show that’s been going on for so long because it’s basically a well-oiled machine. And then when that happens, there’s a lot of room for creativity and adding your own opinion and your own flare to certain aspects of the character. Because everything’s figured out, all the hard stuff’s been figured out, so now it’s time to play and have fun which makes season four really exciting because we’re trying things this year.”
What can you tell us about your character?
Nicole Muñoz: “Jack? She’s very special to me. She’s a fighter at heart and on the streets, and she’s fierce and she’s very loyal and independent. She’s very confident in her fighting ability and sometimes that gets her into trouble, you know, when you’re fighting vampires. But she’s pretty cunning and fiercely loyal.
I really love her. She’s strong.”
How did you prepare for coming in as the new kid on the block? Were you nervous about it? What sort of training did you do and were you a fan of the show? I know that’s a lot of questions.
Nicole Muñoz: “I’ll take them all! So to prepare physically at least…that’s kind of the first thing when I was auditioning for this, they said you have to be pretty physical. And so I said, ‘Okay.’
As soon as I heard that I was even in the running – I hadn’t actually booked the job yet – I was like, ‘I’m going to get a head start.’ I went and took boxing classes which I had kind of been doing before. I did this show called Defiance back in the day and when I was there I was training in Muay Thai. So, I actually did get to bring some MMA into this season, which is really exciting.
But in terms of acting, I binge-watched all three seasons which was not a hard task because it was really fun to watch. And it was cool to see how everybody grew from season one and then to watch them on set on season four. It was fun. That’s kind of it – I watched the show and I did my own preparations. But the physicality was a lot of fight training.”
Who can we expect to see her teaming up with or working with the most?
Nicole Muñoz: “I wish I could tell you. (Laughing) I wish I could tell you! But whoever it is, it’s an awesome team. They kick a lot of ass together.”
Did they provide you with a big backstory on Jack?
Nicole Muñoz: “Eventually. I had my own in my head and then I got to play her pretty similar. But what I can say is she’s been trying to find her way on the road since the rising happened, so that’s kind of why she’s MMA style because she learned to fight on the streets. That’s kind of all I can say for her backstory. I don’t want to spoil it!”
Do you get a list of things you can and can’t talk about?
Nicole Muñoz: (Laughing) “I have a list of things I can’t talk about. There is no ‘can talk about’ list.”
Do you have an affinity for science fiction shows to watch and act in?
Nicole Muñoz: “Yes, I love it. So, Defiance was great. That was my first taste, really, of TV. I got that when I was 18 so I kind of grew up in the sci-fi world.
Filming sci-fi is really fun because it’s very creative. Usually, there’s a moral behind most of the stories. It’s either political or there will be undercurrents of themes that are happening to our society now and then they’re reflecting it through the lens of the science fiction. Which is really fun because then I feel like I’m telling important stories or at least helping be a part of it.
And then the fandoms are amazing for these shows. I’ve been talking to people since I was 18 and it feels like family now. This crossover between Defiance and Van Helsing, I’ve noticed a lot of the supporters kind of jumped and went to Van Helsing also. So, that was cool because I feel a little bit more like coming to a family reunion instead of a room full of strangers that are really nice.”
They were a very welcoming pack?
Nicole Muñoz: “Yes, the cast was very welcoming. As soon as I got to set my first day was a fight scene and everybody was, ‘Don’t worry, they do this to everybody.’ And any questions you had about the theme or the tone… Jonathan Scarfe directed one of the episodes and that was really helpful for me. Everybody’s in the boat of if we can raise everybody up, the whole level gets better. It’s not an ‘in yourself’ type vibe; everybody is trying to make everyone rise up. You don’t get that all the time.”
Did Jonathan Scarfe give you any advice as a new Van Helsing cast member?
Nicole Muñoz: “Did he? I’m sure he handed out a lot of advice while we were filming. Basically, what I get from Jonathan is to relax and enjoy yourself while you’re there because that’s the moment you have so do with it what you can. Don’t be afraid to take some risks when you’re filming. Don’t be afraid to crack a few jokes. He loves to do a couple of taglines at the end. I feel like if the blooper reel this year would be a lot of his one-liners, but they’re all really great.”
Riverdale’sKJ Apa stars in I Still Believe, an inspirational music-driven drama based on a true story. Lionsgate’s just released the official trailer for the 2020 release along with a poster and a batch of photos.
A word of warning: The two-minute trailer appears to give away much of the story, so watch at your own risk.
In addition to KJ Apa, the cast includes Britt Robertson (For the People), Gary Sinise (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders), and Country music artist Shania Twain. Andrew Erwin and Jon Irwin directed from a script by Jon Irwin and Jon Gunn.
Lionsgate is planning a March 20, 2020 theatrical release.
The Plot:
“From the makers of I Can Only Imagine comes the true-life story of Christian music megastar Jeremy Camp (Apa). Jeremy’s remarkable journey of love and loss proves there is always hope in the midst of tragedy and that faith tested is the only faith worth sharing.”
KJ Apa in ‘I Still Believe’ (Photo by Michael Kubeisy)Melissa (Britt Robertson) and Jeremy (KJ Apa) in ‘I Still Believe’ (Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris)Britt Robertson and KJ Apa (Photo Credit: Michael Kubeisy)
