WASHINGTON — It's a classic Christmas tale as old as time: Coming home for the holidays, celebrating with those you love, and....playing professional football for one of the NFL's top teams?
The Kansas City Chiefs are collaborating with Hallmark to make a holiday movie, the team announced Tuesday. The film is titled "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story" and will star Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley Jr.
Now before anyone gets too excited, the movie isn't about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story.
According to the movie synopsis, the romance features King as Alana Higman, a frontrunner for the Chiefs' "fan of the year" contest, and Hynes as Derrick, the official tasked with evaluating her against the other finalists.
"As the pair spends time together, it's clear there's a spark between them but when her grandfathers (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs, good luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick – unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary," the synopsis stated.
According to an announcement on the NFL website, the Chiefs are partnering with the league and Skydance Sports for the production.
Skydance is responsible for a wide range of films, from "Top Gun: Maverick" to "Annihilation." The studio's sports division has released a number of movies since being formed in 2021, including a 2023 documentary based on the Philadelphia Eagles team captain and All-Pro center Jason Kelce, titled "Kelce."
Hallmark, the gift company, is known for their namesake TV channel, which airs dozens of original holiday movies every year during their "Countdown to Christmas" event.
"We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this," Chiefs president Mark Donovan said in a statement. "As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom's energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season."
Although it's set to be released this year, the movie hasn't begun production yet. Filming will take place in Kansas City, Missouri; the Chiefs' home field, Arrowhead Stadium, is set to be one of those locations.
"With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organizations," Hallmark chief brand officer Darren Abbott said in a statement. "By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community's spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way."
The news of the movie comes months after the Chiefs claimed their second Super Bowl title in as many years — their third in the past five seasons.
