Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce inspired a Kansas City Chiefs-themed Hallmark Christmas movie | KCUR

The Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs already played a central role in the world’s most famous relationship saga of the past year, and now the team is getting its own Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.

On Tuesday, the NFL team announced that it is partnering with Hallmark – also based in Kansas City – to produce “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” starring Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley, Jr.

Shooting on the film is scheduled to begin in July, and Kansas City will be in the spotlight: filming will take place exclusively on the Missouri side of the metropolis, including at Arrowhead Stadium.

“This partnership brings together two passionate fan bases and gives us the opportunity to showcase the energy and tradition of Chiefs Kingdom on one of the most watched channels during the holiday season,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a press release.

Anyone who has been following the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce saga might be able to see some of the connections by now. But alas, the plot isn’t about a record-breaking, award-winning pop star who falls in love with a likable, podcast-hosting tight end after attending her concert in the hopes of gifting her a homemade friendship bracelet.

Here’s what we know about the story so far:

“Alana Higman (King) believes her family’s lifelong experience as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them one of the favorites for the team’s Fan of the Year contest. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, will be tasked with judging how Alana and her family compare to the other two finalists.

As the two spend time together, it’s clear that there’s a spark between them. But when her grandfather’s (Begley Jr.) old “Good Luck” winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate and destiny, and even questions her future with Derrick – unless a little Christmas magic can give her one last Hail Mary.”

Come to think of it, a Kansas City Chiefs employee gets caught up in an unexpectedly spectacular romance in which football merchandise plays a central role. That sounds somehow familiar.

Chiefs merchandise was a central theme in Kelce and Swift’s relationship. At nearly every NFL game she attended, Swift wore vintage or custom Chiefs gear, generating a lot of attention from the local stores that sold the clothing.

Perhaps the Chiefs hat that Alana loves so much in the film will be modeled after the hand-crocheted hat Swift wore to a game in December. That piece, made by Kathryn Cacho, sold out almost immediately, bringing a rush of customers to the Westside Storey boutique and Cacho’s own crochet business.

Swift and Kelce made their romance official in September when Swift made a surprise appearance at a Chiefs game. Soon, their whirlwind romance included visits to local Kansas City restaurants and dates on Saturday Night Live. Most recently, Kelce performed with Swift onstage for the Eras Tour in London.

All the hype surrounding the relationship brought renewed global attention to Kansas City and even more attention to the Chiefs, who won their second consecutive Super Bowl in February. Local stores sold out of custom Swelce-themed merchandise, and ticket sales for all Chiefs home games tripled for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season.

The superstar lovers even inspired an earlier football romantic comedy parody — possibly a preview of what’s to come — with a trailer for the made-up movie “Falling for Football.” That trailer also starred Hynes, who is set to star in Hallmark’s real-life film.

“By combining the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are excited to give audiences a front-row seat to the spirit of this community, the rich traditions and the passionate fans that make Kansas City what it is – all wrapped up in the soothing and uplifting Hallmark style,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer of Hallmark.

The film will also likely benefit from Missouri’s new film tax credits that went into effect this year, as well as film tax credits from the Kansas City Film Office.

Missouri’s “Show MO” program offers a 20% tax credit for qualifying expenses and additional credits for films that meet other conditions – including if more than half of them are shot in Missouri. This is the first film tax credit program in Missouri since 2013, when the last version expired. Kansas City also offers up to 10% rebates on eligible productions.

We also have to ask ourselves: Will Swift or Kelce make a cameo appearance in Holiday Touchdown – as themselves or in one of their roles? After all, both have already appeared on screen as actors.

Swift has appeared in the films “Cats,” “Amsterdam,” and “Valentine’s Day,” and made guest appearances on the television series “New Girl” and “CSI.”

Kelce made a strong impression on SNL last year. He will soon make his first major acting appearance (not counting his short-lived reality dating show Catching Kelce) in the Ryan Murphy FX series Groesquerie. Kelce is also set to host a revival of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? on Prime Video.

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story doesn’t have a broadcast date yet, but it’s scheduled to air during Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas series, which begins in October. Maybe you can even make it a double bill with a Chiefs game.