The cast of Hallmark Channel's popular "Haul Out the Holly" movies is coming back for more!
According to multiple sources, a surprise third movie is in the works, with Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown returning for more holiday hijinks in the fictional Evergreen Lane neighborhood.
The first "Haul Out the Holly" movie premiered in November 2022, and the second, "Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up," was part of Hallmark's 2023 Countdown to Christmas. Some fans were disappointed that a third movie wasn't included in the 2024 holiday schedule, but industry insiders have revealed a threequel is on the way.
On October 10, 2024, Hollywood trade Production Weekly first reported "Haul Out the Holly 3" has been greenlit. The following day, Moviedelic revealed new details about the project, including Chabert and Brown's involvement.
Other returning cast members, per Moviedelic, include Stephen Tobolowsky as Ned, Ellen Travolta as Mary Louise, and Melissa Peterman -- who's about to reunite with Reba McEntire in the new NBC sitcom "Happy's Place -- as Pamela. Director Maclain Nelson is also back on board, the outlet reported, as is screenwriter Chris Sey, who wrote the sequel but not the original movie, per IMDb.
Just like the first two movies, the third will also be filmed in Utah, Moviedelic said -- likely on the same quaint cul-de-sac in the Cottonwood Heights community, which is known as "Evergreen Lane" in the movies.
In the first "Haul Out the Holly" movie, which premiered in November 2022, Chabert played newly-single Emily, who returns to her childhood home hoping for some holiday cheer, only to discover her parents were leaving town. She's tasked with prepping their home for Christmas, following their HOA's strict rules around decorating and celebrating. In the midst of the cul-de-sac chaos, she unexpectedly falls for childhood friend Jared, played by Brown, who still lives in the neighborhood and serves as the HOA president.
In "Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up," Emily and Jared's romance continues as a new couple moves into the neighborhood who take Christmas festivities to a new level, making the season highly competitive among the residents and, of course, comedic hijinks ensue.
The 2022 original was filmed in the sweltering summer heat, which required some creative strategies for cooling off.
"They were having an unprecedented heat wave in Utah and it was about 110 degrees," she told Woman's World in 2023 about the first movie. "We were all bundled up in our coats and hats and gloves and scarves. Talk about having to act, literally. You're sweating and you're having to pretend like you're not hot and you're freezing."
"You learn to do cold acting because you do different things with your body when you're cold," she continued. "So you have to learn the cold body language. You rub your hands together and sort of hold your shoulders up a little bit."
To avoid another heat wave, the sequel was shot in the spring of 2023. It's not clear when the newest movie will be filmed.
While fans await the threequel, they'll have plenty of opportunities to watch the first two movies on Hallmark Channel. "Haul Out the Holly" is scheduled to air six times between October 19 and December 1, while "Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up" has four re-airings scheduled, between October 23 and November 26. The movies are also available to stream at anytime on Hallmark+.