Filming Begins on Hallmark’s Second ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ Movie: Everything We Know

Three weeks after Hallmark Channel execs announced that a sequel to the network’s 2023 hit “A Biltmore Christmas” was in the works, filming began at the iconic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, on January 12, 2026, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.

While the first movie starred Hallmark’s Kristoffer Polaha and Bethany Joy Lenz, the sequel will feature two more fan-favorites, Niall Matter and Holland Roden. Although the film will be a standalone story and not a true sequel, “Star Trek” legend Jonathan Frakes will return in his role as Winston for the holiday movie, slated to premiere during Hallmark’s 2026 Countdown to Christmas.

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Here’s What We Know So Far About the New ‘Biltmore Christmas’ Movie

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According to Hallmark’s announcement about the new movie on December 22, filming will take place at the Biltmore, presumably while it’s still decorated for the holidays, as was done for the 2023 movie. Filming will also take place at Asheville’s Fine Arts Theatre, Pack’s Tavern, and around downtown Asheville.

The estate and city of Asheville spent the past year restoring roads and structures after Hurricane Helene led to devastating floods, causing extensive damage to the area in 2024. Polaha returned to the Biltmore to boost spirits and witness the restoration efforts.

The Biltmore, a 250-room estate owned by George and Edith Vanderbilt, was built during the Gilded Age and completed for them in 1895. That’s the year the new movie will begin, per Hallmark’s synopsis, as “Biltmore House opens for the first time on Christmas Eve,” with a 13-year-old named Elizabeth and her family there as holiday guests.

“When she notices Michael, a fellow teen caught trespassing by the staff,” the synopsis continues, “Elizabeth comes to his rescue by claiming to know him, much to his relief. The two share an instant connection and set out to explore Biltmore but Michael inexplicably vanishes.” 

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What is the New ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ Movie About?

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With a time-travel plot like the 2023 movie, the second installment will fast-forward to 20 years after Elizabeth and Michael’s first meeting, when Elizabeth is spending Christmas at the Biltmore again. Now 33, she’s “accompanied by James, a suitor her Aunt Maysilee is keen for her to wed,” per Hallmark.

In the screenplay, crafted by “A Biltmore Christmas” screenwriter Marcy Holland, “When a stranger asks Elizabeth to dance at the Christmas gala, she’s shocked to discover it’s Michael. Thrilled to reunite with her friend, she throws herself into his arms. But the world around her changes in an instant when Elizabeth is transported into the modern world with Michael, a tourist from the present day who had traveled to the past 20 years prior with the help of a magical hourglass in Biltmore’s library.

“Now, Elizabeth and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time,” the overview says, “while not arousing the suspicion of Michael’s mother and sister during their family vacation. As Elizabeth experiences life and Christmas in the 21^st century, she and Michael become close. When the time comes for her to return to 1915, Elizabeth must decide whether she’ll resume the life that’s been chosen for her or if her heart will lead her down a new path in the present.”

There’s no word on whether Lenz or Polaha will make an appearance during the modern-day scenes, given that both of their characters landed in the present day at the end of the first movie.

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2026 Biltmore Movie Will Feature New Locations Inside Estate

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With returning director Dustin Rikert at the helm, after working with Roden in 2025’s “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” the new Biltmore-themed movie will feature spots inside the estate that were not featured in the first film.

According to Hallmark’s press materials, Roden, Matter, Frakes, and other cast members will film in new rooms and locations at the estate including the indoor swimming pool (one of the first ever), two-lane bowling alley, breakfast room, oak sitting room, main kitchen, music room and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedroom.

They will also film at other locations on the expansive property, including at The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village and Biltmore Winery. Those spots will be closed to the public during filming, which is expected to wrap on February 2.

According to the Asheville Citizen Times, Hallmark’s casting department will be hiring locals ages seven through their 70s, to be extras in the movie, making $120 an hour. To apply, the outlet reported, email email a recent photo, full name, age, phone number, height, weight, and all clothing sizes, including shoe size to Marty Cherrix at cherrixcastingnc@gmail.com.