Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce inspired a Hallmark holiday movie

The Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs have already played a central role in last year’s most high-profile relationship saga. Now the team is getting their own Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.

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

Production on the film is expected to begin in July and Kansas City will be on full display: it will be filmed exclusively on the Missouri metro side, including at Arrowhead Stadium.

“This partnership unites 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,” said Chiefs President Mark Donovan, in a press release.

Anyone who has been following the saga of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might be connecting some dots right now. But unfortunately, the plot isn’t about an award-winning, record-breaking pop star who falls in love with a friendly podcast host after attending his concert, hoping to give him a homemade friendship bracelet.

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

Alana Higman (King) believes her family’s history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them the favorites to win the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest. Derrick (Hynes), director of fan engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family compare to the other two finalists.

As the couple spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them, but when her grandfather’s (Begley Jr.) lucky vintage Chiefs winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubting everything she believed about destiny and even questions her future. Derrick – unless, of course, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.

Now that we think about it, a Kansas City Chiefs employee who finds himself in a surprisingly high-profile romance, with football merchandise playing a central role? This is starting to sound familiar.

Chiefs merchandise has been a central theme in Kelce and Swift’s relationship. At almost every NFL game she attended, Swift wore vintage or custom Chiefs clothing, drawing attention to the local businesses that sold the clothing.

Perhaps the Chiefs hat that Alana holds so dear in the film will be modeled after the hand-crocheted hat that Swift wore to a December game. This piece, made by Kathryn Cacho, sold out almost immediately and generated a flurry of business at the Westside Storey and Cacho’s own custom crochet shop.

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 date nights on Saturday Night Live. Most recently, Kelce joined Swift on stage at the Eras Tour in London.

All the buzz around the relationship has brought renewed global attention to Kansas City, and even more attention to the Chiefs, who won their second straight Super Bowl in February. Local stores sold their personalized Swelce-themed products. Ticket sales for all Chiefs home games have tripled for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

The superstar lovers even inspired an earlier parody of a football romantic comedy — perhaps a preview of what’s to come — with a trailer for the fake movie “Falling for Football.” This trailer also featured Hynes, who is set to direct the real Hallmark movie.

“By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the enthusiasm of professional football, we are excited to give audiences a front-row seat to the spirit of this community, the rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, the all wrapped in the heartwarming and inspiring vibe of Hallmark,” said Hallmark Chief Brand Officer Darren Abbott.

The film will also likely benefit from Missouri’s new film tax credits, which took effect this year, as well as film tax credits awarded by the Kansas City film office.

Missouri’s “Show MO” program offers a 20 percent tax credit for qualified expenses and additional credits for films that meet other requirements, including if more than half of the film is filmed in Missouri. This is the first film tax credit program in Missouri since 2013, when the last version lapsed. Kansas City is also offering up to 10% off eligible productions.

We also have to wonder: Will Swift or Kelce make an appearance — as themselves or in character — in “Holiday Touchdown”? After all, both have acting credits on their resumes.

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

Kelce made quite an impression hosting SNL last year. Soon, he’ll have his first major acting role (not counting his short-lived reality TV show “Catching Kelce”) in the Ryan Murphy FX series “Groesquerie.” Kelce is also on hand to host a revival of the TV quiz show “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” » on Prime Video.

“Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” does not yet have an air date, but it is expected to air during Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas series, which begins in October. Maybe you can even make it a double feature with a Chiefs game.