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Tag: Trevor Donovan

  • Trevor Donovan, Gladys Knight to star in new adaptation of Little Women

    Trevor Donovan, Gladys Knight to star in new adaptation of Little Women

    A new version of Little Women is coming to TV. Gladys Knight, Trevor Donovan, Jen Lilley, and Jillian Murray are among the stars who will appear in a modern-day adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic.
     
    “‘A Little Women’s Christmas’ is a new Christmas classic in the making, with an incredible ensemble cast and an adaptation of an original story that is one of the best I have read,” said Bill Abbott of Great American Family, the network producing the movie.
     

    New adaptation

     
    Alcott’s semi-autobiographical novels, published in 1868 and 1869, followed the lives of four sisters growing up in “genteel poverty” in Massachusetts. Great American Family’s version is set in modern-day Tennessee at Christmastime. The characters have the same names as the sisters featured in Alcott’s novel — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — and face similar challenges as they navigate friendships, love, and finding strength through their family.
     

    Little Women

     
    Great American Family’s adaptation is one of many to grace the screens over the years. The story was first made into a silent film in 1917 starring Daisy Burrell, Mary Lincoln, Ruby Miller, and Muriel Myers. A 1933 film adaptation starred Katherine Hepburn. In 1949, Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh starred in a remake.
     
    Director Gillian Armstrong directed version in 1994 that starred Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon, and Christian Bale. The most recent adaptation was Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version.
     
    Bill Abbott said one of the reasons the network chose to adapt the story was because it focused on women and family.
     
     “Louisa May Alcott was intentional about focusing on the culture of young women, their hopes, ambitions, and dreams, and it remains one of the most widely read and beloved stories ever written,” he said.
     
    Trevor Donovan

    RELATED NEWS: Actor Trevor Donovan says he would be open to appearing on Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart

    The cast

     
    In A Little Women’s Christmas, Jen Lilley stars as eldest sister Meg March. Jillian Murray stars as Josephine “Jo” March. Beth is played by Laura Osnes, and Amy is played by Julia Reilly.
     
    Trevor Donovan plays Fritz, who was Jo’s love interest in the novel. Jesse Hutch is John, Meg’s love interest. The network has not yet said what role Gladys Knight will play, though a spokesperson revealed that she will debut a new Christmas song in the film titled “Joy.”
     

    Great American Family

     
    The network known as Great American Family was launched in September 2021 by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott. In a deal Bloomberg estimated at $90 million, Abbott and his investors purchased two cable networks and began producing content for both.
     
    In an appearance on the Up Next with John Contratti podcast, Abbott said he hoped to produce quality family-friendly entertainment.
     
    “There’s so much need for family content in the market and in this space,” he said. “You know, it’s pretty scary, quite frankly, the amount of content that’s out there…the vast majority of content that’s salacious and just is not appropriate for any member of the family.”
     
    Great American Family has not released a premiere date for A Little Women Christmas. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
     
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  • Brian Bird and Trevor Donovan are bringing back the after-school special

    Brian Bird and Trevor Donovan are bringing back the after-school special

    Brian Bird and Trevor Donovan are bringing back the after-school special. (Woot woot!)

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    The co-creator of Hallmark’s longest-running original series and the star of several Hallmark films are teaming up to create a series of “edutainment” films, similar to the after-school specials that used to run on ABC.

    Brian Bird and Trevor Donovan will produce the films through Bird’s production company, True Brand Entertainment. In a statement to Variety, Donovan said the movies would examine issues such as substance abuse, equality, bullying, and inclusion.

    “These scripted narratives will be fun and humorous presentations of contemporary issues which inspire and uplift, just as they did in the original series,” Donovan said. “That model worked well back then, and after twenty years, the lessons and storytelling that entertained Gen-X should be enjoyed again.”

    Brian Bird and Daniel Lissing on the set of When Hope Calls Christmas
    Brian Bird and Daniel Lissing on the set of When Hope Calls Christmas. (Image: @brbird/Instagram)

    Bird, who co-created When Calls the Heart, also weighed in, saying the films would be a great vehicle for discussion.

    “At a time when our culture is so divided, our stories can be bridges of understanding, solve problems, offer healing and sometimes even save lives,” the producer notes. “We believe there is a welcome market for entertainment that can entertain, inspire and lift all people up.”

    The Upstanders

    Donovan leads an anti-bullying movement called the Upstanders. The program works with schools to help students learn how to spot bullying and stand up to bullies.

    During a 2020 appearance at a Pennsylvania middle school, he talked about the abuse he received at the hands of his peers because of his introverted nature.

    “You cannot escape it, and as a kid, you could feel as though you are surrounded, from the vicious messages sent directly to you to the disparaging content about someone’s reputation,” he said.

    A California native, Donovan trained as a graphic artist before pursuing a career in Hollywood. He played Jeremy Horton on Days of Our Lives before taking the role of Teddy Montgomery on 90210. His character eventually came out as gay and eventually married his partner in a Vegas ceremony.

    He has starred in many Hallmark movies, including Strawberry Summer (2012), Love, Fall & Order (2019), USS Christmas (2020), and Nantucket Noel (2021).

    Working with Bird

    Donovan met writer and producer Brian Bird through his work at Hallmark. Bird co-created the series When Calls the Heart, which is going into its ninth season at Hallmark. He also helped produce the show’s spinoff series, When Hope Calls. Though the spinoff ran for only one season on Hallmark, it has been picked up by new network GAC Family for a second season.

    Bird and Donovan recently finished making the independent film The Engagement Plot in Colorado, and Donovan said he would be open to making an appearance on one of Bird’s shows.

    Donovan is also close with Bill Abbott, who was the CEO of Crown Media Family Networks for 11 years before leaving in early 2020. He recently signed a deal to make four movies with GAC Family, which was started by Abbott in June 2021.

    As for the “edutainment” films, they will follow the model used by ABC in its after-school specials, which ran from the 1970s through the 1990s. The short films addressed issues of concern and ran on weekday afternoons. Over the years, the series won 51 Daytime Emmy Awards.

    No premiere date has been set for the first film.

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