After striking a multi-picture deal with cable network Great American Family, actress Danica McKellar is set to produce her first executive movie for “Christmas at the Drive-In” this holiday season.
McKellar will also star in the film alongside fellow actor Neil Bledsoe, both of whom previously worked together on Hallmark Channel’s original “The Winter Palace.” The screenplay was written by Rick Garman, whose filmography is largely dominated by other TV films such as It’s Beginning That Looks So Much Like Christmas, or more recently, Christmas…The Present.
The premiere of “Christmas at the Drive-In” is part of the network’s Great American Christmas Celebration, a holiday programming marathon that runs from October 21 through the end of 2022.
Also in today’s news:
dates
Aspiring real-life filmmakers looking for the tools to turn their dreams from a documentary series into a reality will be part of the Intensive Annual Independent Documentary Workshop – a powerful three-day workshop from September 21-23 for up-and-coming documentaries to make connections and develop their projects.
Ten projects and 21 fellows have been selected to participate in this year’s event, with titles including “Fruitpool: An Oral History of Gay Sex” by Dave Quantek and “Agent: The Cold War We Didn’t Learn in School” from co-executive producer team Melinda Pincon and Mark Smallowitz .
The CNN Original Series is back as founding sponsor of this year’s event, working in collaboration with non-profit organization Film Independent to bring in major names from the documentary field as guest speakers and creative advisors. Filmmakers like Jodi Gnomes, Nick Cammilleri, and Zackary Ducker are among a few highly anticipated mentors.
Programming
Disney Branded Television has announced this year’s Halloween programming for “Calling All the Monsters” on Disney Channel and “Trick or Treats” on Disney Channel.
Disney Channel’s Halloween-themed content includes the world premiere of “Under Wraps 2” on September 25, along with the first episodes of “Bunk’d,” “The Villains of Valley View,” “Raven’s Home,” and “Big City Greens”. Starting September 26, the Disney Channel will show Halloween-themed movies every night of the week at 8 p.m. ET, including the “Hotel Transylvania” and “Halloweentown” movie series.
Disney Junior will release new episodes of “Mickey Mouse Funhouse”, “Firebuds”, “PJ Masks” and others.
Disney Channel and Disney Junior programming events run from September 25 to October 31.
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Besides signaling the frightening dawn of the season, October 1st marks the addition of 27,000 hours of content to the live streaming service Tubi in the month-long “Terror on Tubi” festival.
The celebration of Halloween-inspired broadcasts returns for the second year in a row with all-new original films: “Alone In the Dark,” “Battle of the Beasts: Bigfoot vs. Yeti,” “The Final Rose,” “Lights, Camera and Kill: Scream” and A party to die for. The lineup also includes an original Tubi remake of “Terror Train,” as well as classics like “It” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
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Starting Thursday, Roku – a free, ad-based streaming service – is offering exclusive access to a special three-part clip containing footage from the 2022 Adult Swimming Festival. Although the event took place in Philadelphia in August, fans can Music Now experience shows from VIPs like Tierra Whack or Run The Jewels followed by behind-the-scenes interviews.
Parallel to the premiere of the special, Roku Channel will also be adding more than 120 selected episodes from over 16 series and mouth-watering shorts for adults in celebration of the release. Viewers can expect shows like “Vindicators 2,” “Rick and Morty,” and the spin-off “Aquadonk Side Pieces” from “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”
series
The drama “After Forever” returns for a third season on Prime Video, with production resuming confirmed on September 24.
Continuing the series’ exploration of love, loss, and weirdness, the upcoming episodes pick up a month from where Season 2 ends and will feature returning cast such as Erin Cherry, Finn Douglas, and Mike McGowan. The new season was co-written by Kevin Spertas and the late Michael Slade before his death of cancer.
The episodes will premiere on Prime Video in late December 2022.
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Tastemade has announced that the original series “Weekend Refresh” is set to air in November on Tastemade and Tastemade Home broadcast channels. The series is hosted by Tia Morey.
This Weekend Update focuses on homeowners and renters as they create the space of their dreams for just $2,000 in 48 hours. Each episode will feature some hacks that home viewers can follow.
Mowry will be production executive alongside Tastemade’s Taye Shuayb and Mike Aho. Models Ali Mansfield and Priya Balachandran serve as executive producer and co-executive producer, respectively.
Events
Fox and Blockchain Creative Labs have announced that polls for voting for spin-offs inside “Krapopolis” by Dan Harmon will open for Krap Chicken NFT owners on Thursday, September 22 at 9 AM PT.
Fox is promoting “Krapopolis” as the first network television animated series to be coordinated on the blockchain, and the inaugural set “Krapopolis” NFT includes 10,420 “Krap Chickens” created by the show’s artists.
After surveys, Krap Chicken collectors will get to watch their NFT items on TV, as well as access token-related content, exclusive voting rights to the show, private discord channels, and meet and greet with cast and crew.
Krapopolis will premiere in May 2023 on Fox. The 24 hour voting period for Krap Chicken NFT holders will open online.
