Last Man Standing star Molly McCook, Pioneer Woman creator Ree Drummond, and Food Network are all jumping into the made-for-TV Christmas movie game with Candy Coated Christmas. The new movie, which will only be available on Discovery+ starting on Nov. 19, marks Food Network’s first scripted feature and Drummond’s first acting gig. The project was announced in August and a trailer was released earlier this week.
Drummond stars as the owner of a bakery in the town of Peppermint Hollow, the peppermint capital of the world. McCook stars as Molly Gallant, who returns to her late mother’s hometown in Washington after learning the family business is going bankrupt. She is determined to sell her mother’s childhood home until she meets Noah Winters (Aaron O’Connell), who is rending the home with his family. Of course, this being a Christmas movie, Molly is going to fall in love with the town, Drummond’s bakery, and Noah.
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In the trailer, Drummond’s character, Bee, hands out mint brownie bites, the recipe for which can easily be found on the Food Network website. “I am so incredibly honored that Food Network asked me to play Bee,” Drummond said in a statement to PEOPLE. “If I get to be in just one movie in my life, I want it to be a Christmas movie.”
Food Network will also release a special about the making of the movie, Candy Coated Christmas: Behind the Scenes with Ree Drummond on Nov. 1. Drummond will take viewers on a tour through the film’s set and show off some baking tricks. “Candy Coated Christmas was so much fun to be part of; it had all the magical elements that make holiday movies so special,” Drummond said in August. “Any initial nerves I felt about joining this project completely melted away when I stepped into the sweet, charming world of Peppermint Hollow!”
Candy Coated Christmas was written by Ellie Kanner, Alex Yonks, and Joey Plager. Kanner directed the film, which was produced by MarVista Entertainment, reports Variety. Discovery is hoping the project is a success so more holiday movies accompanied by special features on Discovery+ could be coming in the future.
McCook is best known for starring as Mandy Baxter, the daughter of Tim Allen’s Mike Baxter, on Last Man Standing. She starred in the show’s last three seasons, replacing Molly Ephraim when Fox revived the show. McCook also starred in Netflix’s The Ranch as Darlene and Freeform’s Good Trouble. Her father, The Bold and the Beautiful star John McCook, also stars in Candy Coated Christmas.
