Yahoo Finance Lori Loughlin to Star in New Rom-Com on Great American Family
Garrett Lobaugh
Lori Loughlin has lined up her first romantic comedy on Great American Family.
The network (formerly known as GAC Family) announced on Thursday that Loughlin, 58, will star in the TV movie Fall Into Winter, which starts production in October and will premiere in January 2023.
"Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years," Great American Media President and CEO Bill Abbott said in a statement. "We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate."
Fall Into Winter is Loughlin's first movie since 2018 and her latest step back into the spotlight after she made national headlines for her involvement in the college admissions scandal organized by Rick Singer.
RELATED: Judge Rules Lori Loughlin Can Visit Canada for Possible Acting Work Post College Admissions Scandal
The actress and husband Mossimo Giannulli, 59, pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiracy to commit fraud. She spent two months in jail later that year and was ordered to complete 150 community service hours upon her release. Her fashion designer husband served a five-month prison sentence, which he completed in April 2021.
Her first acting role after that was also for Great American Media. She appeared in a 2021 When Calls the Heart spinoff special, When Hope Calls Christmas, revisiting a former character previously written off the series.
Steve Granitz/WireImage Lori Loughlin
Abbott hinted at working again with the Full House alum on Wednesday.
"She's America's sweetheart, regardless of whatever happened," he told Variety. "At the end of the day, she represents all that is positive about entertainment, and has had a stellar career — not only on screen, but also the way she's conducted herself personally, in terms of being someone who has a track record of doing the right thing in the world at large, aside from whatever happened. I don't know the details."
"She's beloved and for good reason," he added. "We're very proud of our association with her and we want to make her part of the fabric."
Fall into Winter will see Loughlin as Keely, who, according the network's description, "is aghast when her brother sells his half of their family-owned, upscale candy shop to his best friend from high school (and her nemesis, Brooks) forcing a sudden urgency to find connection and common ground. Keely has been hurt before; change is her new nemesis. Brooks' past is a mirror of Keely's. He, too, has a fortress around his heart. Fate brings the pair together. Might it also offer new beginnings?"
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In August, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton approved a request for Loughlin to visit Canada this fall for work.
A memo acquired by PEOPLE notes that "Ms. Loughlin has remained in compliance during her term of supervised release," having paid a $150,000 fine and completed a community service requirement.
