Is The Chesapeake Shores Spin-Off Movie Ever Going To Happen? Here's What We Know

The Hallmark Channel is beloved by fans for providing heartwarming, positive media when viewers seem to need it most. However, the channel also loves a bit of drama, especially when it's thrown into one of their popular series, like "When Calls the Heart" or "Good Witch." One of the most successful shows under the Hallmark umbrella was "Chesapeake Shores," which followed the O'Briens as Abby, the oldest daughter, moved back home to Chesapeake Bay and reconnected with her family.

The series was extremely popular with fans, especially as the story developed and Crown Media kept renewing it for more seasons. Sadly, the O'Briens' story came to an end in 2022 when "Chesapeake Shores" was canceled after six seasons. The news was upsetting to fans, who thought the show deserved more time on-air. However, in 2019, rumors started swirling that there might be a spin-off movie in development, but a release date was put off, and nothing was ever heard of it again. While it's uncertain that the movie will ever happen, fans of the show aren't giving up hope on seeing the O'Briens on-screen again.

In 2019, "Chesapeake Shores" was growing in popularity on Hallmark Channel, and the idea of a spin-off movie centered around the three O'Brien girls (Abby, Bree, and Jess) was pitched. The film would follow the three women as they escaped from Chesapeake Bay and traveled to Europe for a friend's wedding, only to find the bride missing. Since the movie was supposed to take place in Europe, it was going to be filmed at a destination location, but the pandemic threw a wrench in those plans. Executive producer Daniel Paulson spoke to Super Channel about why the movie was postponed for so long.

"I've asked that question to Hallmark and that's their decision," he said (via Heavy). "I'd be happy to do holidays or specials for them, and I know 'When Calls the Heart' has done that ... We talked about doing one last year, but COVID reared its ugly head. It was going to be a destination film where the three sisters would go somewhere because they're great together. We talked about Ireland since the family is from there and actually wrote a script."

Also in 2019, the "Chesapeake Shores" Facebook posted about the upcoming movie but has yet to share a release date. In August 2021, the page responded to fans asking about the movie's progress, saying, "We will make an announcement when we have more information." It seems as if plans may have halted indefinitely, and fans aren't sure if it will ever happen.

While it looks like the future of the "Chesapeake Shores" spin-off movie is bleak, there is a bit of hope from the author of the original series. Sherryl Woods, author of the "Chesapeake Shores" books and "Sweet Magnolias" series, had also been looking forward to continuing the O'Brien family's story. In a 2023 interview with Parade, the writer discussed what she had been hoping for regarding a spin-off of "Chesapeake Shores."

"That was my first TV baby, so I wanted more, too. And we were hopeful that we would be able to do some more but it didn't happen... We [Daniel Paulson, executive producer] continued to talk about whether there was someplace else or something else we could do with 'Chesapeake Shores,' whether it was a few movies here and there or trying to do something with the series."

As much as Woods wanted to make a spin-off with the beloved O'Briens, she explained that with the tragic death of Treat Williams, who played Mick O'Brien on the series, it would be difficult to continue without him. So, while the future is uncertain, there's always potential for Hallmark to revive the spin-off movie and bring back the O'Briens one more time.