Crown Media The Nine Lives of Christmas sequel
According to a recent production update, a sequel to the beloved Hallmark movie is officially in the works. This confirms the news that Sustad shared over a year ago about how excited she was to be working on a sequel. It looks like the movie will likely be premiering this year.
This article has minor spoilers for the new movie’s plot.
The Sequel Will Be Called ‘The Nine Kittens of Christmas’
Crown Media
Production Weekly shared an update for Thursday, August 12, that listed “The Nine Kittens of Christmas” as one of the new movies under production. Jackie Lind is listed as the casting director, and filming is going to start soon.
According to information shared on social media about the new movie’s plot, it looks like the two main characters have been facing problems in their relationship since the first movie ended. And of course, kittens are going to play a big role in the movie, so it promises to be adorable.
The Twitter account SleepyKittyPaw, which frequently reports accurate updates on Hallmark movies, shared on Twitter that Kimberley Sustad and Brandon Routh will both be returning for the sequel in the roles of Marilee and Zachary. However, their characters didn’t enjoy the happily ever after that fans expected.
You guys…The NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS sequel is happening!
It’s called THE NINE KITTENS OF CHRISTMAS and David Winning set to direct. Kimberly Sustad & Brandon Routh better both be returning, because it’s same 2 main characters, Marilee & Zach, who didn’t live happily ever after
SleepyKittyPaw also shared that this movie looks really good because it’s not the typical plotline where everything went perfectly and now the couple is only planning their wedding.
But don’t worry guys. I’m guessing there’s still hope. And kittens! Maybe even nine of them. 😜
Also, kudos to Kimberly Sustad, who helped develop this, and Hallmark, for not just doing another “in this one we show you the wedding, because they’ve been dating whole time” sequel.
Sustad Previously Said on The Bubbly Sesh Podcast That She Was Planning a Sequel
This sequel has been in the works for more than a year. In July 2020, Sustad shared with The Bubbly Sesh podcast that she was already working on a sequel to “The Nine Lives of Christmas.”
Star #KimberleySustad is on the pod for our @hallmarkchannel #NineLivesofChristmas 😻recap including a very special announcement! 🚨Hint, Hint, we think you don’t want to miss this one, #Hallmarkies. 🚨 Listen: t.co/jb54e4vUBb or any podcast app
At the end of the podcast, around 40 minutes in, Sustad said:
We do have … the sequel in development. … ‘The Nine Lives of Christmas’ sequel is underway, in development, and it’s looking good. … We’re very excited. I’m really excited to put that character back on. Obviously, we’ve had some apprehension because of how popular it is, and Hallmark is very aware of it. … And I love that there’s been a lot of time in between. But it’s also nervewracking because there’s a lot of buildup. But no matter what, I think it will be very nostalgic and in the true manner of the voice and the feeling of that movie. It’ll just be us… We’ll be there…
The hosts were excited by Sustad’s news, mentioning that people talk about the movie all the time and constantly ask them if the movie is going to get a sequel.
Sustad shared that when looking back on the experience, she realized that fans’ favorite part of the movie was the cats, above everything else.
There’s this whole vibrant community of cat lovers… And I had this moment where I went: I think that movie might actually be more famous because of the cats than any of the actors… [Because of] how cute those cats were and how the cats interacted… Maybe for a second I thought it was about us, but it’s not at all. It’s the cats. The cats completely upstaged us. So of course they [will] be there.
She also shared that her favorite moment when filming the original movie was the end scene where they climb up the fire truck and finally kiss.
Sustad told Bubbly Sesh: “It was so epic… She wants the ending. She wants the lion to climb up to the highest peak and declare his love for her. And then he does it. And I think it was so romantic. He climbed up to the height of that, all the way up the fire truck, and then he declared his love for me, and I just thought that was that ‘Pretty Woman’ moment and I got to do that in one of my own movies… I loved that. It was full circle for me.”
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