EXCLUSIVE: LA’s Nicely Entertainment has acquired campy telemovie Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas, and is bringing its soap opera shenanigans to the Cannes Market.
The film stars Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati), Morgan Fairchild (Falcon Crest), Linda Gray (Dallas), Donna Mills (Knots Landing) and Nicollette Sheridan (Knots Landing) as five glamorous soap opera stars who reunite to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running show. Producer Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson) do their best to keep things on the rails but old rivalries resurface and threaten to tear the production apart. The divas are forced to put their differences aside and the show becomes an unexpected ratings hit, creating a new TV format for them and a romance for Alex and Nell.
The movie’s score and theme song ‘Ladies of the ‘80s’ was written by Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Steve Dorff and Michael Jay and is performed by ‘80s pop sensation Tiffany, best known for ‘I Think We’re Alone Now.’ It debuted on Lifetime over the past holiday season.
Nicely, the company run by former Gaumont TV distribution chief Vanessa Shapiro, has taken the international rights and will launch the telefilm in Cannes this week. Buyers will also be targeted at the LA Screenings and NATPE Budapest. Nicely has carved out a niche as a go-to seller of Christmas romance and destination romance films .
“We’re thrilled to bring Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas to the international marketplace,” said Shapiro. “It is so fun to see all these legends of the small screen united in this film, from Dallas’ Linda Gray to Knots Landing’s Donna Mills, I’m personally a huge fan and very excited to share this very original movie.”
“The beauty of an original, outrageous, Christmas story combined with my longtime respect and friendships with Donna, Morgan, Loni, Linda, and Nicollette, blessed me with the opportunity to produce this holiday movie. Few film producers find a gift like that under their tree, and Nicely Entertainment is the perfect Santa Claus distributor to deliver it to the world,” said executive producer Larry Thompson.
Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas is produced by Larry Thompson Entertainment. Christie Will Wolf (Christmas on Candy Cane Lane, The Art of Passion) directs from a script by James Berg and Stan Zimmerman (The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls) with Robert G. Endara II and Ed Polgardy producing.
