Chad Michael Murray is getting his freak on for a “Magic Mike”-tinged Netflix holiday rom-com.
The “One Tree Hill,” “A Cinderella Story,” and “Freaky Friday” alum strips down for “The Merry Gentlemen” in a cabaret-style show to save one small town’s beloved theater. Sounds a little like “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” meets Hallmark? Yeah, we thought so too.
Britt Robertson leads the film as a “former big-city dancer” who “decides to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue.” Cue Murray’s character, who also realizes that sparks fly with Robertson’s lead even off-stage.
Marla Sokoloff, Beth Broderick, Michael Gross, Maxwell Caulfield, Hector David Jr., Colt Prattes, and Marc Anthony Samuel co-star. Peter Sullivan directs from a script by actress Sokoloff, who also has starred in and directed Lifetime films like “Christmas Hotel” and “Blending Christmas.”
“The Merry Gentlemen” is produced by Jeffrey Schenck, Barry Barnholtz, Brian Nolan, and Peter Sullivan.
Murray also recently starred in ensemble Netflix film “Mother of the Bride” alongside Brooke Shields.
And don’t worry “Freaky Friday” fans: Murray is confirmed to be returning as Jake for the long-awaited “Freaky Friday″ sequel, “Freakier Friday.” “Late Night” director Nisha Ganatra will helm the feature, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan also reprising their respective co-lead roles.
Plus, Lohan is Murray’s fellow Netflix holiday slate star, with rom-com “Our Little Secret” debuting one week after “The Merry Gentlemen” on the streaming platform. Lohan previously led hit “Falling for Christmas,” which cemented her status as the queen of Netflix rom-coms.
As Lohan helped announce, Netflix is releasing a new holiday rom-com every Wednesday this November. Other titles include the aforementioned “Our Little Secret” led by Lohan, “Hot Frosty” with Lacey Chabert and Craig Robinson, “Meet Me Next Christmas” starring Christina Milian, and animated film “That Christmas,” which is written by iconic filmmaker Richard Curtis. The film is based on Curtis’ trilogy of children’s books; the adaptation is Curtis’ animated film. “That Christmas” stars Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, and Jodie Whittaker, and is also the feature directorial debut of renowned animation veteran Simon Otto (“Love, Death & Robots,” “How to Train Your Dragon”).
“The Merry Gentlemen” premieres November 20 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.
