Shubhabrata Dutta
Hallmark will soon bring an unusual romance to the screen! The Cinemaholic can confirm that the network has ordered the TV movie ‘Return to Office.’ Principal photography will begin in November in the Lower Mainland, British Columbia. The cast and crew of the television film remain undisclosed for now.
The plot centers on two employees who are forced to share a desk on alternate days of hybrid working due to an unexpected work arrangement. What begins as an exchange through a series of passive-aggressive post-it notes between them slowly turns into an unlikely romance.
Hallmark is no stranger to stories in which foes or opposing characters ultimately become lovers. Don McBrearty’s ‘Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe’ is an example. The TV movie follows two old rivals, Darcy (Lacey Chabert) and Luke (Brendan Penny), who are forced to work together for a charity event, only to fall for each other.
The network has explored similar storylines in films like Clare Niederpruem’s ‘Love, Fall and Order,’ which follows Claire Hart (Erin Cahill), a young advocate who defends her father in a case fought by the opposing lawyer and her old rival, Patrick Harris (Trevor Donovan). Their hearts start to melt when sparks begin to fly.
Another film with a similar storyline is Mark Jean’s ‘Flip That Romance,’ starring Julie Gonzalo and Tyler Hynes. In the movie, rival house flippers Jules Briggs and Lance Waddell are tasked with renovating the dual sides of a duplex. While outdoing one another, the friction ignites the sparks of love.
The Lower Mainland, a favored location for Hallmark, has hosted several of the network’s recent notable projects, including the festive rom-com ‘Magic in Mistletoe,’ the wedding rom-com ‘Wedding Season,’ and the comedy movie ‘The Cases of Mystery Lane.’
Read More: Liam Neeson’s ‘4 Kids Walk Into a Bank’ Starts Filming in Dublin in December
