As diehard fans of Hallmark’s popular series “When Calls The Heart” gathered in Vancouver for the annual Hearties Family Reunion, longtime star Ben Rosenbaum dropped big news during a panel on September 13, 2025.
Rosenbaum drew squeals, gasps, and applause when he announced that he and several other WCTH castmates will star in a Countdown to Christmas movie during the 2025 holiday season. But the news is so new, he didn’t have many details to spill.
Ben Rosenbaum Says He’ll Appear With 5 Other Co-Stars in New Movie
Rosenbaum, who has played Hickam since WCTH premiered in 2014, appeared on a panel with several of his co-stars on September 12, including Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Hrothgar Mathews, Loretta Walsh, Johannah Newmarch, Amanda Wong, and one of the cast’s newest additions, Miranda MacDougall, who plays Edie.
After answering a question from the crowd gathered, Rosenbaum added, “I did want to say, while I have the mic, to tease a little something. I don’t even have all the details, this is a very early tease.”
Rosenbaum then revealed, “I’m going to be appearing in a Hallmark Christmas movie this holiday season” and the crowd cheered in surprise.
“And you’re all gonna want to keep your eyes on Hallmark and Hallmark social media for the announcement,” he continued, “because it contains, alongside myself, not one, not two, not three, not four, but five other ‘When Calls The Heart’ cast members.”
As the crowd cheered again, Rosenbaum smiled and then revealed that three of them were on the earlier panel in the day, which featured series lead Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Pascale Hutton, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, and Andrea Brooks.
Hearties Swoon Over Christmas Movie News
The crowd at the Hearties Family Reunion were clearly thrilled by the news, as were those who saw Rosenbaum’s comments on WCTH social media accounts.
One fan commented, “Wow! This is amazing. Can’t wait to learn more 😍❤️”
Another tweeted, “SHUT THE FRONT DOOR”
Someone else gushed, “Oh. My. Goodness. This is definitely THE best news for all of us! Thank you @hallmarkchannel for your heart for #Hearties everywhere! Can’t wait to see @ben_rosenbaum and all the other When Calls the Heart cast members together! This will definitely make our whole Christmas season extra merry and oh so bright!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟”
The 2025 Countdown to Christmas lineup expected to be announced the week of September 15, with some still filming. The WCTH cast is also scheduled to keep filming season 13 through October 23, per Creative BC.
This is Ben Rosenbaum’s Second Surprise Announcement of the Year
This is not Rosenbaum first big surprise reveal of the year. Fans were also stunned in June when he and Krakow, who plays lead character Elizabeth in WCTH, revealed they’d gotten married.
Krakow tagged Rosenbaum in a post on June 23 with two photos, including one of the couple kissing, with her wearing a beautiful wedding dress and long veil, and him in chocolate brown suit. Krakow captioned the post with an infinity symbol and added a piano instrumental of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” in the background.
Krakow and Rosenbaum kept Hearties guessing about their relationship for a long time. They were long-rumored to be a couple, as they periodically post photos of fun trips and outings they’ve shared with dear friends McGarry and Wallace. Questions about their status increased after they adopted a rescue pup named Willoughby in January 2023.
