Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story: The cast and other things we know about the Hallmark Christmas movie

When it comes to the schedule of upcoming Hallmark moviesThere's nothing quite like the countdown to Christmas, and this year's offering includes a Christmas romance that might even interest football fans and Swifties. Hallmark has partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs for Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Storyand if the idea of romance at Arrowhead Stadium gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling, we have all the information you need. Read on to find out more Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love StoryThe release date for The 40 Years of the Year, which Hallmark favorites and Chiefs players have joined the cast, and everything else we know.

When is the release date of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story?

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Hallmark announced that Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story will premiere as part of the countdown to Christmas 2024. No specific premiere date has been announced yetbut Hallmark's Christmas schedule usually begins in October, with new movies released every week through December.

Tyler Hynes and Hunter King lead the cast of Holiday Touchdown with Donna Kelce, Andy Reid and more

Two Hallmark fan favorites, Tyler Hynes and Hunter King, lead the cast of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Storybut the excitement doesn't end there. Several Kansas City Chiefs players will appear in the film, as well as coach Andy Reid and Travis Kelce's mother Donna. Here's who has officially signed on:

Tyler Hynes

Hallmark star Tyler Hynes plays Derrick, the Kansas City Chiefs' Director of Fan Engagement, in this football romance. Hynes has appeared in more than 15 films on the Hallmark Channel and this year Holiday touchdown will not be the only opportunity for fans to see him. The actor will also appear in Three wise men and a boyThe Sequel to the 2023 classic, Three wise men and a baby.

Hunter King

Shadow of Passion Veteran Hunter King joined the Hallmark family in 2022 and has since appeared in six films, including this summer Two scoops of Italy. In Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love StoryKing will play Alana Higman, one of a family of lifelong Chiefs superfans who compete in the team's Fan of the Year contest.

Ed Begley Jr.

Ed Begley Jr. has made well over 300 film and television appearances, including St. Elsewhere, Young Sheldon, This is Spinal Tap and several other Christopher Guest mockumentaries. This Christmas, however, he will leave all the mockery behind when he plays Alana's grandfather in the Countdown to Christmas series. According to Hallmark, his character owns a winter hat that brings good luck and is at the center of some drama.

Andy Reid

Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reid will appear in Holiday touchdownand while his role hasn't been confirmed, he'll likely play himself. The man who led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl victories will likely catch the attention of some Chiefs fans, even if they haven't been fans of Hallmark's Christmas offerings.

Various Chiefs players

Kansas City Chief Trey Smith appears in "In love with football," the NFL team and Hallmark's postseason commercial. — (Image credit: Kansas City Chiefs)

In addition to their coach, four Chiefs players have signed on to appear in the film – Mecole Hardman, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Trey Smith (pictured above) and George Karlaftis. All are big names in Chiefs Kingdom, with Hardman being the Kansas City hero who scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime at this year's Super Bowl. Smith, meanwhile, appeared in the fake Hallmark trailer Falling in love with football in January to celebrate another Chiefs postseason appearance. (More on that later.)

Donna Kelce

You know her. You love her. It's Donna Kelce, ladies and gentlemen. The mother of “the most popular brothers in the world,“Travis and Jason will be in Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story after a guest appearance in the Falling in love with football Ad as a wise waitress in a diner. Her role is unknown, but like Andy Reid, she could appear as herself.

Jenna Bush Hager

Former First Daughter Jenna Bush Hager is making her acting debut this holiday season in an undisclosed role in Tyler Hynes and Hunter King's film. She recently spoke about TODAY about her day of filming, and if there's any indication, her wardrobe consisted of a sleeveless cashmere sweater and a wool coat, and she did appear to have wrinkles.

Other people appearing in Holiday Touchdown

Others confirmed by Deadline For the project, the Instagram-famous Catrick Mahomes And The Howard Stern Show personality Richard Christyand actors Diedrich Bader, Christine Ebersole, Megyn Price And Richard Riehle.

Hunter King told Heavy.com that the full cast has not yet been announced and that there is some “fun stuff coming up that we're excited about.” Can we hope for a Travis Kelce appearance?

What Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story is about

The Kansas City Chiefs football field is located at Arrowhead Stadium in "Falling in love with football" Post-season commercial.

(Image credit: Kansas City Chiefs)

While the timing of the A holiday touchdown: A love story of the Chiefs Although the plot of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas offering seems to have nothing to do with the famous true love story between Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce and global superstar Taylor Swift, it has nothing to do with it.

According to the network, the story revolves around Alana Higman (King) and her family, made up of lifelong Chiefs superfans who are entering the team's Fan of the Year contest. The man tasked with judging Alana's family and the other two finalists is Director of Fan Engagement, Derrick (Hynes). After Alana's grandfather's lucky charm winter hat goes missing, she begins to doubt everything she believed about fate and love, and it takes a Hail Mary to save her Christmas spirit.

Commercial for “Falling For Football” and romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce inspired the film

From left to right: Taylor Swift in

(Image credit: Republic Records and Prime Video)

To celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' return to the playoffs in the 2023-24 football season, the team partnered with Hallmark to create a postseason commercial to get fans excited. The commercial was in the style of a fake Hallmark love story called Falling in love with footballstarring Tyler Hynes alongside Janel Parrish. The story follows a postseason fanatic who falls in love with a girl who hates football. If you're getting into the Christmas spirit, check out the following:

Fall in love with football | Coming soon to a stadium near you | Kansas City Chiefs – YouTube

Look further

According to Hynes, the hype surrounding the commercial got the ball rolling Holiday touchdownAs he told Heavy.com:

It all happened pretty quickly because there was a spark that came from the postseason commercial we did last season. And from that moment on, the conversation really started to get going. And here we are.

It certainly didn’t hurt that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce brought families together to watch their love story every Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium – a sentiment that fits right in with Hallmark's love stories with happy endings. Hynes continued:

We love them. Their love story has obviously sparked a huge response from a variety of fan bases around the world. I think it's just perfect timing for all of the above. Hallmark is what it is, the Chiefs are who they are, Trav and Taylor are so in love. We're all here for it.

We are indeed! There is no doubt that Holiday touchdown should be able to win over some Swifties as Hallmark fans with its love story that focuses on the Chiefs.

Real Chiefs fans wore winter clothes in 30 degree heat to act as extras in the film

Kansas City Chiefs fans cheer in a bar for "In love with football," the team's commercial with Hallmark from 2024.

(Image credit: Kansas City Chiefs)

One of Secrets of Making a Hallmark Christmas Movie is how hot it really is when they have to film their actors wrapped up in winter clothes. Apparently, about 1,000 fans of the Kansas City Chiefs were allowed to do this as extras for Holiday touchdown.

Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President of Programming at Hallmark Media, told Kansas City Star that fans were putting ice packs on their backs and in the scarves they had wrapped around their necks. At the end of the day, the cast and crew had reportedly consumed 2,000 bottles of water. Ugh, humbug!

An NFL stadium may not be the first setting that comes to mind when you think of a Christmas love story, but this partnership between the Kansas City Chiefs and Hallmark for the Countdown to Christmas 2024 has many fans excited. Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story: The cast and other things we know about the Hallmark Christmas movie

When is the release date of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story?