Good news for fans of handsome firefighters everywhere: Luke Macfarlane is returning to Hallmark! The actor will star in a new romantic comedy alongside Ashley Williams, Peter Porte, and Marcus Rosner.
The news was welcome by Hallmark fans, who responded to the announcement on social media with enthusiasm.
“Looking forward to seeing this movie!!!” wrote one fan on Hallmark Channel’s Facebook page. “I am so glad that Luke is back!! I love his acting!!”
Luke Macfarlane
Luke Macfarlane has starred in 13 movies for Hallmark, often playing a firefighter. But in September 2022, the actor told LA Times he wasn’t planning on working with the network anymore.
“They’ve been very good to me, but I think I’ve told my story for now with those folks,” he said. “I mean, how many firefighters can I play?”
Macfarlane made it clear there were no hard feelings behind the decision, even saying that Hallmark had taught him some important skills.
“One thing that I really enjoyed about making Hallmark movies is it’s really fun to flirt,” he said. “It’s fun to play that energy on camera, where relationships are at their best in those early times. I guess Hallmark has given me a lot of flirting lessons.”
Hallmark movies
The first movie Macfarlane made for Hallmark was the 2015 film Christmas Land. He went on to star in The Mistletoe Promise (2016), A Birthday Wish (2017), Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle (2017), A Shoe Addict’s Christmas (2018), Just Add Romance (2019), Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen (2019), A Valentine’s Match (2020), Chateau Christmas (2020), Taking a Shot at Love (2021), Christmas in My Heart (2021), Moriah’s Lighthouse (2022), and A Magical Christmas Village (2022).
Notes of Autumn
Macfarlane’s new movie will premiere during Hallmark Channel’s Fall Into Love programming lineup. In the film Macfarlane plays Leo, a famous author living in rural British Columbia who is suffering from a serious case of writer’s block.
His friend Ellie (played by Ashley Williams) is a classically trained pianist who has been working at a big city hotel and feels like she is in a creative rut. She suggests to Leo that they switch homes for the fall and he agrees.
Singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson is acting as an executive producer on the movie. Gibson previously produced and starred in the Hallmark movies Summer of Dreams (2016) and Wedding of Dreams (2018).
“I’m so thrilled to have a creative voice during such an exciting time in Hallmark Channel’s programming,” Gibson said in a statement through Hallmark. “This is a special story that celebrates how love can blossom in the most unexpected ways.”
Notes of Autumn will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, September 16 at 8/7c.
