Fan-Favorite Hallmark Christmas Movie Is Getting a Sequel — But With a New Cast

Hallmark is heading back to the Biltmore for round two. Yep, A Biltmore Christmas 2 is officially happening, and it is not a rehash with the same leads. New cast, same estate, more timey-wimey holiday romance energy on the way.

What Hallmark just locked in

The sequel is set for December 2026 as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas slate. Variety also notes another title on that lineup: Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True. So, Hallmark is thinking big for 2026.

This time around, the leads are Holland Roden (Teen Wolf) and Niall Matter (Eureka). Whether the original stars Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha pop in is still a question mark. One familiar face is confirmed: Jonathan Frakes will be back as Winston, which ties the sequel directly to the first movie.

Who is making it

Dustin Rikert, who most recently steered Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story and The Christmas Quest, is directing. Marcy Holland, who wrote the first film, is back on script duties, and David O. Connell is executive producing.

For context, the 2023 original was directed by John Putch and written by Holland, with Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha starring. The supporting cast included Colton Little, A.K. Benninghofen, Annabelle Borke, and Jonathan Frakes, among others.

Quick refresher on the first one

A Biltmore Christmas followed Lucy Hardgrove (Lenz), a modern-day screenwriter hired to remake a beloved holiday classic called His Merry Wife!. While scouting the Biltmore Estate, she knocked over an hourglass in the Library and got zapped back to 1946, right onto the set of the original His Merry Wife!. It was a charmingly bonkers setup that actually worked, and yes, the hourglass is canonically important.

Production and where they are shooting

Cameras start rolling next month at the Biltmore Estate and around Asheville, North Carolina, with some returning rooms and a bunch of new corners of the property getting screen time. They are also heading into town for a few recognizable spots. It is a surprisingly detailed location play for a Hallmark sequel, which is kind of fun if you like seeing how these productions are stitched together.

• Returning Biltmore interiors: Conservatory, Winter Garden, Tapestry Gallery, Banquet Hall, Billiard Room, Library (home of that chaotic hourglass)
• New-to-the-sequel spots: Rooftop, Pergola, Swimming Pool, Bowling Alley, Breakfast Room, Oak Sitting Room, Main Kitchen, Music Room, Ms. Vanderbilt's Bedroom
• Around the estate: The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Winery, Antler Hill Village
• Off-site in Asheville: Fine Arts Theatre, Pack's Tavern, and downtown

One more thing that jumped out: announcing a 2026 release this early is a long runway for a Hallmark holiday movie, but with new leads, returning writer, and Frakes bridging the continuity, it seems like they are treating this as a real franchise play, not just another seasonal one-off.