Seeing your favorite soap opera star appear in a cheery Christmas movie is one of the most holly and jolly things ever, but Days of our Lives' Alison Sweeney (ex-Sami Brady) is proving that it can get even better than that. The former daytime actress has just signed on to star in a new Hallmark Christmas film that -- no joke -- is being produced by country superstar Blake Shelton.
The network's Movies & Mysteries arm has cast Sweeney in the leading role in Time for You to Come Home for Christmas, reports ET. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Lucas Bryant will play Sweeney's love interest in the Blake Shelton film.
The new movie is a sequel to last year's Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas, which was based on Shelton's 2012 song "Time for Me to Come Home" and starred Josh Henderson and Megan Park. The title song was recorded with the singer's mother, Dorothy Shackleford, who also published a novella of the same name in 2013.
The storyline of Time for You to Come Home for Christmas follows recent widow Katherine (Sweeney) and her son, Will, who return to her hometown to spend Christmas with family. On the train to Virginia, Katherine meets Jack (Bryant), a veteran on his own holiday journey. Katherine and Jack part ways, only to discover they had the same destination. While volunteering for the local Christmas dance, a fundraiser for military families, the two grow closer. But Katherine struggles to move on from her late husband and Jack is focused on a mysterious mission that brought him to town. As Christmas nears, the two learn of a hidden connection that may be the Christmas miracle they were looking for.
As DAYS fans know, this is Sweeney's second Hallmark Christmas movie, following 2017's Christmas at Holly Lodge. The actress got her start in the entertainment industry as long-running character Sami Brady on Days of our Lives, which she joined back in 1993. Sweeney decided to take a step back from the NBC soap opera in 2014 to focus on other projects, which most recently includes her Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series The Chronicle Mysteries films.
Blake Shelton is a country singer and television personality known for his hit songs like "Austin," "All Over Me," "Ol' Red," and "God's Country." He is also known for his role as a judge on the televised singing competitions Nashville Star, Clash of the Choirs, and The Voice. He currently dates former No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani.
Time for You to Come Home for Christmas, which is part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' "Miracles of Christmas," is set to premiere on Friday, December 6, at 9PM ET/PT.
What do you think about Alison Sweeney being cast as the lead in Blake Shelton's upcoming holiday film, Time for You to Come Home for Christmas? What do you think of the premise of the film? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.