Hallmark A Magical Christmas Village
Alison Sweeney recently signed a multi-picture deal with Hallmark and has a new movie premiering in November with Luke Macfarlane. She recently commented on the future of another project that fans are interested in: “Hannah Swensen Mysteries.”
She Talked About the Future of Her Mystery Series
In an interview with TV Shows Ace, Sweeney chatted about two of her mystery series that fans love: “Chronicle Mysteries” and “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” (formerly known as “Murder She Baked.”
She was asked if she was going to work on either franchise again.
Sweeney replied, “I have to tell you, if it is at all possible, I would love to make something like that happen. I love doing the mysteries. So, I am always open to that… They are my favorite.”
Melissa Salmons wrote the script for her new movie with Macfarlane, and Salmons has also worked with her before on “Chronicle Mysteries.”
“Melissa and I work really well together and we have a collaborative relationship,” Sweeney said. “She pitches ideas, and we take them to Hallmark and look for motivation, and go from there. We listen to feedback from what Hallmark wants. So, Melissa is the one who had this beautiful idea for a magical Christmas village. And, I loved it. I thought it was such a fun way to take a realistic story, and put a little spin on it. A little fairy tale dust”
When asked if she and Salmons might work on a new mystery series together, different from what she’s done before, Sweeney just said, while laughing, “Maybe we will… Maybe we…”
Sweeney’s newest “Hannah Swensen” movie premiered last August. Originally called “Murder She Baked,” the new movie was still part of the previous universe, but under a new name. It was the sixth movie in the Swensen series.
In an interview with TV Goodness, Sweeney revealed that the movie was rebranded because different people are involved this time around.
Sweeney said:
[The rebrand] was a product of it being a new production and having new people involved. “Murder She Baked” was a specific title to do with the previous executives and we weren’t able to keep it going. So we wanted to embrace the Hannah Swenson character and the Joanne Fluke novels — there are 28 of these books out there. So we’ve got lots of room to grow. We thought that [the new title would] help the audience remember it’s all about Hannah and her friends and this wonderful bakery and solving those mysteries and would be the right way to move.
She added: “I really wanted to take a fresh look at the music and [that’s] reflected in this particular story.”
But despite all those changes, a new installment hasn’t come out since.
Sweeney Just Signed a Multi-Picture Deal with Hallmark
In September, Sweeney signed a multi-picture deal with Hallmark, Deadline reported.
Sweeney told Deadline about the deal: “I am thrilled to continue to work with Hallmark as they continue to support my work as an actress and as a producer. I’m very proud of our Christmas movie and excited for the future projects to come!”
Sweeney’s first movie that’s part of her new deal is “A Magical Christmas Village,” where she stars opposite Macfarlane, Deadline revealed.
In the movie, Sweeney portrays an architect named Summer who is living in a small town and raising her daughter, Chloe (Maesa Nicholson.) Her mother Vivian moves in (Marlo Thomas) and brings a Christmas village with her that’s known for granting wishes — perhaps including meeting Ryan, played by Macfarlane. Sweeney is executive producing the Christmas movie.
The movie premieres on Friday, November 4, and encores will re-air throughout the season.