By Justina Bonilla
The popular cable channel Lifetime is celebrating their 30th anniversary of the first Lifetime Original Movie, by announcing over 50 new original films set for release between May and December of 2020, including Mario Lopez’s newest Christmas film project, Feliz NaviDAD.
Feliz NaviDAD is written by Peter Murrieta (Wizards of Wavery Place, One Day at a Time and Cristela) and produced by Mark Roberts (Mexico’s Next Top Model, The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia and Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire). Melissa Joan Hart will be directing. The film stars Lopez and Paulina Chavez as his daughter (Ashley Garcia in The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia).
In Feliz NaviDad Lopez plays is a widower struggling with his first Christmas after the passing of his beloved wife. His daughter makes it her mission to help him rediscover his Christmas spirit. Lopez will be both star and the executive producer of this heartwarming Christmas family-friendly movie.
It has been highlighted as one of the featured films for Lifetime’s yearly Christmas film block tradition It’s a Wonderful Lifetime. This will be Lopez’s second-holiday film with Lifetime, after the rom-com A Very Merry Toy Story (2017).
Hart will join Lopez in Feliz NaviDAD as the film’s director and actress. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Hart revealed that Lopez himself asked her to direct this film. Hart has made a name for herself as a television director, which including the original Netflix series The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, which was co-created by Lopez. Feliz NaviDAD will also be the third rom-com holiday film collaboration between Hart and Lopez, including their first and most popular film, Holiday in Handcuffs (2017).
While Lopez is primarily known for his role as A.C. Slater in Saved By the Bell and playing Greg Louganis in the TV movie Breaking The Surface: The Greg Louganis Story. He has been doing a lot of work as an entertainment host, currently on Access Hollywood. Recently he has been producing a multiple TV shows and films, such as Champs, A Very Merry Christmas, The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, and the Saved by the Bell reboot.
Though there are concerns about film projects, either starting or finishing during this uncertain time of COVID-19, according to iHeart Radio’s On with Mario Lopez, the production has gotten the green light to begin production on June 8th.