HALLMARK CHANNEL GREENLIGHTS SECOND PRIMETIME SERIES "WHEN CALLS THE HEART", KICKING OFF WITH 2-HOUR ORIGINAL MOVIE WORLD PREMIERE EVENT ON OCTOBER 5

The Film Features an All-Star Cast Including Maggie Grace, Stephen Amell, Three-Time Emmy Winner Jean Smart, Lori Loughlin, Daniel Sharman and Poppy Drayton; Based on the Canadian West Book Series by Bestselling Author, Janette Oke

Hallmark Channel announced today the premiere of "When Calls The Heart", a Hallmark Channel original movie, on October 5 @ 9p.m. ET/PT, 8C, which serves as a two-hour sneak peek of the newest primetime series greenlit by Hallmark Channel, premiering January 2014.

"It's a very exciting time at the network as we greenlight our second original primetime series based on the works of award-winning author, Janette Oke. With the success we have had from Oke's 'Love Comes Softly' movie adaptations, this anthology of When Calls The Heart books, also by Oke, are a perfect fit for Hallmark Channel," said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming.

Based on Janette Oke's bestselling Canadian West book series, the film stars three-time Emmy(R) Award-winner Jean Smart ("Designing Women"), Lori Loughlin ("90210"), Maggie Grace ("Taken 2"), Stephen Amell ("Arrow"), Daniel Sharman ("Teen Wolf"), and newcomer Poppy Drayton.

"When Calls the Heart" is the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Drayton), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom post in a prairie town in the Western Frontier lead by headstrong coalminer widows Abigail (Loughlin) and Frances (Smart). She is determined to prove to her family that she is brave enough to live on her own, but struggles with her own fears and doubts. When she discovers her late Aunt Elizabeth's (Grace) secret diary, Elizabeth learns she was a pioneer woman herself, a teacher in the frontier who struggled with prairie life and fell in love with a Royal Canadian Mountie (Amell). Inspired by her aunt's hopeful words and unfaltering determination, Elizabeth decides to embark on her own adventure, using the diary as her guide and family friend Edward, another Mountie (Sharman), as her support.

"When Calls the Heart" is a Believe Pictures Jordan Films and Brad Krevoy Television production. Brad Krevoy, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., Roman Viaris, Francisco Gonzalez, and Jimmy Townsend are executive producers. Laurette Bourassa and David Kappes are producers. The film is based on the novel by Janette Oke, and written and directed by Michael Landon, Jr.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Happy Days. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.