Real-life sisters Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Darrow Mysteries, Father of the Bride) and Ashley Williams (Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater, The Jim Gaffigan Show) are joining forces!
Hallmark announced Thursday the duo will executive produce two all-new original movies, Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday and Sister Swap: Christmas in the City, and fans of the beloved stars don’t have long to wait.
Premiering this year during Hallmark Channel’s beloved, annual programming event, Countdown to Christmas.
Ashley Williams’ husband, Neal Dodson (Triple Frontier, Margin Call) also serves as executive producer.
Keith Robinson (Saints & Sinners, A Christmas Love Story), Mark Deklin (Grace and Frankie, Designated Survivor), Susan Yeagley (Mike Tyson Mysteries, Parks and Recreation), and Kevin Nealon (Man with a Plan, Weeds) also star.
“Jennifer (Williams-Paisley) and Meg Swift (Williams) are sisters who couldn’t be closer despite living hours apart,” reads the logline.
“Jennifer is in Salt Lake City, running a successful restaurant she started with her late husband and raising her teenaged son Simon (Jacob Buster, Ballers),” it continues.
“Meg stayed in their hometown of Hazelwood, helping their parents run the local bakery.”
“This Christmas is the family’s first since the passing of Uncle Dave (Nealon) who owned the town’s beloved theater, The Madison, where many memories were made over the years.”
Sounds fun so far, right?
“When Jennifer and Simon return home for the holiday, they become wistful for one more Christmas at The Madison, despite that it’s for sale and in need of repairs.”
“Meanwhile, Meg is helping Jennifer’s restaurant staff in Salt Lake prepare for a Christmas competition among local restaurants with the winner earning money for the charity of its choice.”
“With the sisters switching cities leading up to the holiday, they find a new sense of purpose and discover what they both truly need in life and in love.”
“Making these movies was a dream come true, especially because making Christmas movies where sisterhood is the focus felt bold,” Williams shared in a statement.
“We had the idea to make a movie where Kim and I play sisters, and then we got ambitious. So, we decided we would make two movies where we play sisters.”
“And then we decided to go even further.”
“So, the two movies take place in the exact same time frame, and the movies cross over and even share some scenes, but from each sister’s different perspective.”
“We built two interconnected movies and shot them simultaneously in Utah. Our writers and our director, Sean McNamara, and our Hallmark team knew it was a puzzle and challenge, but everyone rose to the occasion.”
“It has been a life-long dream of ours to work together, and it was even better than we imagined. So good, in fact, we decided that from now on, every project we do should be with each other. That would be fantastic!,” Williams-Paisley enthused.
“We got to play sisters in a movie about family and behind the scenes, it truly felt like one – from my real-life sister producing and co-starring with me, to my brother-in-law also producing, and dear life-long friends playing several key roles. It was a very special experience.”
While interconnected through the journeys of the two sisters, one movie focuses on the story of Jennifer as she spends time in her hometown while the other tells Meg’s tale of her time in Salt Lake City.
Both of these movies feature a unique approach to storytelling as certain scenes are shared between them.
Viewers will not need to watch both to follow along but of course those who do will have an even more merry and bright viewing experience.
Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday and Sister Swap: Christmas in the City are from Crown Media Productions, LLC.
Executive producers are Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams & Neal Dodson.
David Wulf serves as producer. Sean McNamara directed from a script by Claire Boyles & Zac Hug from a story by Erik Patterson & Jessica Scott.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.