LACEY CHABERT AND WARREN CHRISTIE TO STAR IN A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE "THE COLOR OF RAIN," THE TOUCHING TRUE STORY OF TWO FAMILIES UNITED IN GRIEF AND CONNECTED IN FAITH

The Film is Based on the New York Times Bestselling Book The Color of Rain By Michael and Gina Spehn; Film Begins Production Today for World Premiere Father's Day 2014

Hallmark Channel announces the start of production for the two-hour original movie "The Color of Rain," the emotional true story of two families' unexpected new beginning in the face of unimaginable loss. Inspired by the true story of Gina Kell and Michael Spehn and the New York Times bestselling book The Color of Rain they wrote together, the Hallmark Channel Original Movie follows both families as they become one after cancer tragically claims both Gina's husband and Michael's wife six weeks apart. The film, starting production today in Vancouver, stars Lacey Chabert ("Party of Five," "Mean Girls") as Gina Kell and Warren Christie ("Alphas," "Happy Town") portrays Michael Spehn. "The Color of Rain" is slated to premiere Father's Day 2014 on Hallmark Channel.

After cancer claims Matt Kell's life on Christmas Day 2005, his widow, Gina (Chabert) and two young boys are left to cope with the pain of his loss while their close church community gathers around them for support. Wanting to be close to her kids, Gina starts to volunteer at their elementary school and meets the Spehn children, Jack, Danny and Charlotte. In a gut-wrenching coincidence, just weeks after Matt's death, the Spehn's mom, Cathy, also suddenly succumbs to cancer, leaving her distraught husband, Michael (Christie), to care for their three kids on his own. Sensing the hopelessness in Michael she so recently saw in herself, Gina reaches out to Michael and his kids and the two families begin to forge an unlikely friendship and close bond.

Over the year that follows, their lives become intertwined as they learn to lean on each other - during the at-times insurmountable obstacles, tears and adversity - and begin to heal with laughter, compassion and faith. As Gina and Michael realize their newfound friendship is so much more, they struggle against some surprising resistance from their families and community to unite their two grieving families as one and eventually learn to open their hearts to love again.

Michael and Gina Spehn co-founded The New Day Foundation for Families, a nonprofit organization created to help families with young children affected by cancer. They co-host a radio talk show called Your Family Matters in Detroit and speak around the country on the topics of grief, hope and family issues.

"The Color of Rain" is a LaCanada/Lighthouse Pictures Production. Executive Producers are Dan Paulson, David Permut and Shawn Williamson. Anne Wheeler will direct from a script written by Nancey Silvers, which is based on the New York Times bestselling book The Color of Rain by Michael and Gina Spehn.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.

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