Lindsay Lohan has signed on to star in a holiday romantic comedy for Netflix, which will mark her return to mainstream acting after her promising young career was derailed by personal issues.
Janeen Damian will direct the film, which will see Lohan play a newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress who gets amnesia after a skiing accident. She finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner and his precocious daughter in the days leading up to Christmas and predictably, sparks fly.
Damian has co-written the script alongside Michael Damian, Jeff Bonnett and Ron Oliver, and Michael will produce under his Riviera Films banner along with Brad Krevoy of MPCA, which is behind Netflix’s A Christmas Prince franchise as well as A Castle For Christmas, another upcoming festive film for the streaming giant.
That’s probably not a coincidence. That franchise, while cheesy and Hallmark-esque (Janeen Damian previously directed Hallmark’s A Christmas Waltz), those films have become holiday staples and also helped revive Vanessa Hudgens career. Netflix clearly thinks they can do the same here with Lohan.
Lohan debuted in 1998 in Nancy Meyers‘ The Parent Trap, before becoming a household name thanks to lead roles in films such as Freaky Friday, Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen and, most notably, Mean Girls.
She looked set to be Hollywood’s next big star before substance abuse issues and legal troubles took her career off track.
She did star in Paul Schrader‘s erotic drama The Canyons in 2013, and had a recurring role in season two of British dark comedy Sick Note alongside Rupert Grint and Nick Frost.
However, she has mostly been absent from the big screen in recent years, instead starring in her own MTV reality show, hosting the Australian version of The Masked Singer, and launching her own fashion line.
Netflix’s Christmas output has essentially become TV Christmas movies but with bigger stars, and it’s proven to be successful. People want to watch comforting Christmas movies during the festive period, and Netflix has been happy to provide them. If this movie is successful, Lohan could have a festive franchise on her hands.
There’s no title for the film yet, and production isn’t expected to begin until November. Netflix is reportedly targeting a late 2022 release.
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