Head coach Ben Johnson, tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, and three Bears legends will appear in "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story," a Hallmark Channel film that wrapped production in late July at locations including the team's Lake Forest headquarters.

The full cast was announced Wednesday, Aug. 5, by Hallmark, the NFL, Skydance Sports and the Bears. The movie premieres Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. CT on Hallmark Channel as part of the network's 17th annual "Countdown to Christmas" lineup.

Lyndsy Fonseca ("How I Met Your Mother") and Robert Buckley ("One Tree Hill," "Chesapeake Shores") lead the cast. Four-time Academy Award nominee Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods and Khary Payton round out the principal roles.

The Lake Forest connection runs deep. Filming took place at Halas Hall and Soldier Field, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and the cameo roster reads like a Bears history lesson: Mike Singletary, Charles "Peanut" Tillman, Dan Hampton and mascot Staley Da Bear all appear alongside Johnson, Kmet and Loveland.

Connie Payton, wife of the late Walter Payton, also makes a cameo, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.

The film is the third in Hallmark's "Holiday Touchdown" franchise with the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs headlined the 2024 edition; the Buffalo Bills followed in 2025. Skydance Sports, the NFL's exclusive content partner, executive produced.

Local fans have a stake in the credits, too. Charity auction winners Carrie May-Borich and Phillip Salamone earned featured walk-on roles through the Bears Care auction announced in July, and longtime season ticket holders Julia and Ken Wegner will also appear on screen. The film's storyline incorporates Bears Care's holiday charitable work in the Chicago area.

Hallmark is releasing a Chicago Bears Santa ornament this fall, available on Hallmark.com and at regional Hallmark Gold Crown Stores.