HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL EMBARKS ON TV'S NEW HOLIDAY DESTINATION "MOST WONDERFUL MOVIES OF CHRISTMAS" WITH THE NETWORK'S FIRST-EVER ORIGINAL HOLIDAY MOVIE, "CHRISTMAS WITH TUCKER" STARRING GOLDEN GLOBE(R) AND EMMY(R) WINNER JAMES BROLIN GAGE MUNROE AND JOSIE BISSETT

Film Begins Production in Canada for World Premiere Holiday 2013; Barbara Gordon, Ron Lea And Helen Colliander Co-Star

Hallmark Movie Channel announces its first-ever original holiday movie, "Christmas with Tucker," begins production in Northern Ontario, Canada. Slated for a world premiere on the network in Holiday 2013, the film stars Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) award-winner, James Brolin ("Marcus Welby, M.D.", "Castle"), Gage Munroe ("Alphas", "The Night Before the Night Before Christmas"), Josie Bissett ("Melrose Place", "The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), Barbara Gordon ("Little Mosque on the Prairie"), Ron Lea ("Goodnight for Justice"), and Helen Colliander ("Heartland"). "Christmas with Tucker" is a prequel to the 2009 Hallmark Hall of Fame film "A Dog Named Christmas." This first original Christmas movie is being produced exclusively for Hallmark Movie Channel's new holiday initiative, "Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas", featuring traditional and classic Christmas films suitable for family audiences.

In the heartwarming holiday tale "Christmas with Tucker," a young boy learns to be a man after the death of his father. While coming to terms with his dad's recent passing in a tractor accident, thirteen-year-old George McCray (Munroe) is living with his grandparents on their Kansas farm. George misses his mom, Jill (Bissett), who has moved to Minnesota to deal with her grief, but there is the promise of their reunion at Christmas. George feels needed on the farm as he helps his grateful grandfather, Bo (Brolin), with daily chores and comforts to his grandmother, Cora (Gordon). He has also made friends with Mary Ann (Colliander) and become attached to Tucker, the smart and friendly dog the McCrays take in when its troubled owner Frank Thorne (Lea) lands in jail.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, a series of storms barrel into the area, knocking out power and creating icy conditions. Bo and George are kept busy clearing local roads with the family snowplow and checking in on stranded neighbors. At the same time, George sets out to make Tucker his own. However, a dubious deal with Frank has near fatal results, and weighs heavy on George's conscience, threatening his ownership of Tucker, not to mention his standing in the eyes of his grandfather. It promises to be a Christmas to remember as George learns firsthand the importance of responsibility, the faithfulness of friends, and the power of love.

"Christmas with Tucker" is a Muse Entertainment Production filming in North Bay, Northern Ontario, executive produced by Joel S. Rice ("Cyberbully"), Michael Prupas ("The Kennedys"), Jonas Prupas ("Home Again"), and Dave Alan Johnson ("Sue Thomas F.B.Eye"). David Anselmo ("Be My Valentine") is co-executive producer and Steve Solomos ("Reviving Ophelia") is producer. Larry McLean ("Republic of Doyle") directs from a script written by Dave Alan Johnson and adapted from Greg Kincaid's book, Christmas with Tucker.

Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, Inc., simulcast in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), is a trusted family-friendly network devoted to quality storytelling. Available in 50 million homes and one of the fastest-growing cable TV networks, Hallmark Movie Channel is a 24-hour digital cable network dedicated to bringing viewers original movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. In today's crowded television landscape, the network offers viewers a diverse range of film genres, including mysteries, westerns, coming-of-age dramas, and epic fantasies.