Matthew Morrison Returns to TV Beside Jen Lilley for Great American Family’s 'Paris Christmas Waltz'
'Paris Christmas Waltz' marks Morrison’s first acting role since exiting 'So You Think You Can Dance' in May 2022 after he breached "production protocols"
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Matthew Morrison is making his return to television.
On Tuesday, Great American Family announced the 44-year-old actor is set to star opposite Jen Lilley in the upcoming film Paris Christmas Waltz.
The film — which is a sequel to Hallmark Channel's 2020 film The Christmas Waltz — will tell the story of Emma (Lilley) who after quitting her job meets a professional dancer Leo (Morrison) “whose love for competitive dancing is waning, until a once in a lifetime opportunity arises for the novice to join the pro and sweep all of Paris off its feet,” according to a press release from the network.
The movie, from writers Michael and Janeen Damian, was shot in Paris to help “sweep viewers into the magic of the city’s most iconic destinations,” Great American Family shared.
Following the announcement, Lilley shared her excitement for the upcoming Christmas project on Instagram.
"Secret’s out!!! When I tell you all I’m more excited about this film than any other film I’ve ever done, including 5x Academy Award winning movie, The Artist, you better trust me that it’s gonna be epic!" she wrote. "Save the date coming soon ❤️"
News of the casting comes more than a year after the Glee alum exited the Fox reality show So You Think You Can Dance after failing to follow "competition production protocols."
Following his exit, new details started to emerge suggesting the Broadway star was fired from the show due to behavioral misconduct. A source close to the show told PEOPLE in May 2022 that Morrison was axed from the series "after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female contestant" that consisted of him sending "messages that crossed the line."
Morrison offered his own take on the situation the following month, claiming he only asked for her number "because this dancer and I both share a mutual respect for a choreographer that I've known for over 20 years and I was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show."
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No premiere date for Paris Christmas Waltz has been announced. Great American Christmas returns October 21 with new holiday movie premieres every Saturday and Sunday and 24/7 Christmas movies through the end of the year.
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