From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Filming for “A Grand Biltmore Christmas” (the sequel to “A Biltmore Christmas”), starring Rachel Boston and Niall Matter, was scheduled to “wrap” (conclude) on Feb. 2. 

What’s more, the actress Andie MacDowell, a Gaffney, S.C., native and former Asheville resident, “was a late, surprise addition to the cast,” with her involvement announced around late January to early February, just as production was wrapping, AI Overview noted on Feb. 15. She plays Aunt Maysilee, described as “a traditional, somewhat meddling character.”

Another late addition to the cast was  Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander William Riker in “Star Trek” and voiced David Xanatos and other characters in the animated series “Gargoyles.” Frakes will reprise his role from “A Biltmore Christmas” as a Biltmore House tour guide named Winston.

And Chase Pickering, vice president of Biltmore House Guest Experience & Operations, although not an official cast member, made his second consecutive cameo appearance in a Hallmark film about Biltmore.

Pickering “was instrumental in collaborating with Hallmark on their (two) films shot at the estate,” AI Overview stated on Feb. 15. “He worked closely on scripts to ensure the productions captured the authentic Christmas season and history of Biltmore.” He is the great-great-grandson of George and Edith Vanderbilt,who founded the estate.

The production began filming on Jan, 12 and took place at the Biltmore Estate and some locations in Asheville, including the Fine Arts Theatre and Pack’s Tavern.

The movie is scheduled to premiere during Hallmark Channel’s 17th annual Countdown to Christmas event in late 2026.

“Biltmore House, a historic landmark known as ‘America’s Largest House’ and the former home of the famed George and Edith Vanderbilt, is the constant in the historical romance in which star-crossed lovers are once again faced with tough decisions as they’re separated by eras,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Feb. 6.

“‘A Grand Biltmore Christmas,’ which follows the 2023 release ‘A Biltmore Christmas,’ will be set in the same world where mystery and magic coexist and time travel may occur at the tip of a mystical hourglass.”

As for the plot, Holland Roden (“Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” “Teen Wolf”) and Niall Matter (“We Met in December,” “This Time Each Year”) play Elizabeth and Michael, who meet as teens on Christmas Eve in 1895 ― the same year that the Biltmore House first opened. 

The storyline then rotates between 1915 and the present day.

Viewers will be taken deeper into Biltmore House than in the first movie, as scenes were added to showcase other awe-inspiring parts of the 250-room French Château, including the Library, Banquet Hall, Tapestry Gallery and the Swimming Pool.

Regarding MacDowell, a former Biltmore Forest resident and co-star of the mega-hit romantic comedy “Groundhog Day,” her character, Aunt Maysilee, accompanies her niece, Elizabeth (Holland Roden), to Biltmore House during the holiday.

As for Aunt Maysilee, the ACT noted (and asked) that “she’s adamant about sticking to societal norms and is quite opinionated about how Elizabeth should live her life. The loving, spirited, prim and practical aunt wants what’s best for her niece, but is Aunt Maysilee’s idea of happiness the best for Elizabeth? Viewers will have to watch to find out.”

“A Grand Biltmore Christmas” is directed by Dustin Rikert, and the screenplay was written by Marcy Holland, who also wrote the script for “A Biltmore Christmas.” 

Andrew Gernhard, the producer from Synthetic Cinema International, also returned for the second production.