This July 9, 2012 file photo shows the tiny community of Whittier, Alaska, where most of the 180 year-round residents live in the tall condo in the back, a former Army garrison. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) --
A small Alaska port town will stand in as a Russian naval base in a new movie.
KTUU reports about 90 percent of the movie "Hunter Killer" will be filmed in Whittier.
Whittier officials said Friday that three months of pre-production will begin in January, followed by three months of filming.
The film is based on the 2012 novel "Firing Point" by George Wallace and Don Keith, about a standoff between American and Russian submarines.
Producers say Whittier was chosen because it resembles a Russian base. The town, with a population of 229, is located 30 miles southeast of Anchorage.
The cast hasn't been announced, but Martin Campbell will direct. His credits include "Casino Royale" and "Green Lantern."
The last major motion picture filmed in Alaska was "Frozen Ground," starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, in 2011.
This image released by Hallmark Media shows Hunter King, left, and Tyler Hynes in a scene from "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. (Joshua Haines/Hallmark Media via AP)
Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding.
"Christmas in the Spotlight" debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world's biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love — not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
"It's clearly inspired by Taylor and Travis, but I don't know them and I don't know what is going on behind the scenes. I only know what's been put out there," said Eirene Tran Donohue, a longtime, devoted fan who jumped at the opportunity to write a script even loosely based on her favorite musician.
She was inspired by the couple's support of each other's accomplishments, particularly Kelce's ease with dating the star despite the glare of the spotlight, adding, "I love the way that he celebrates her."
Tran Donohue wants fellow Swift fans to know she wrote the script with them in mind.
"There are so many Easter eggs," she said of little details added that a Swift fan would pick up on. "I put in as many as I could."
Then, on Nov. 30, Hallmark will air "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story." Instead of a nod to Swift, it's an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark's headquarters is also in Kansas City, so it makes sense why the company chose the Chiefs to be highlighted.
In this story, written by Julie Sherman Wolfe, sparks fly when a new employee for the Chiefs organization (Tyler Hynes) meets a woman — played by Hunter King — whose family's dedication to the team goes back generations.
Sherman Wolfe, a San Francisco 49ers fan, said she got the call a week after Super Bowl LVIII, when the Chiefs... Read More
