A streaming service called Passionflix focuses on bringing romance novels to life, and the company's next big project stars former soap star Chris McKenna (ex-Mark Harding, The Young and the Restless; ex-Joey Buchanan, One Life to Live; ex-Dr. Hayden, The Bold and the Beautiful).
The actor will be playing the role of retired boxer Jake Spear in the upcoming film The Will, which has been adapted from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley's novel of the same name.
The movie will follow Megan Dodds in the role of Josephine Malone, who learns early in life that the only person she can love and trust is her grandmother, Lydia. Out of necessity, Josephine dons a disguise to keep others at bay. Meanwhile, retired boxer Jake Spear (McKenna) lives in the same small town as Lydia, but there's nothing private about his life, including the fact he has a habit of making very bad decisions about whom he gives his love to. What Josephine and Jake don't know is that there is one person who adores them, one person who knows how to lead them to happiness, and one person who is intent on making it happen, even if it is the last thing she does on this earth.
"I'm insanely excited that Passionflix will bring this story to life," says the book's author, Kristen Ashley. "The casting of Megan and Chris is perfection and it'll be a first-time thrill to see them... breathe life into my novel."
Says Passionflix founder and CEO Tosca Musk: "Kristen created a beautiful story of resilience and love that has resonated with so many because of the emotionally rich characters and the journey they take. I am thrilled to bring Josie and Jake's story to life."
Directed by Australian film director Louise Alston, The Will begins production next month and is set to premiere on Passionflix early next year.
Chris McKenna got his start in acting via his role as Joey Buchanan on OLTL, which he played from 1990 to 1993. He went on to appear in series like Opposite Sex and 90210 before briefly returning to daytime as Y&R's Detective Mark Harding from 2014 to 2015 and as The Bold and the Beautiful's Dr. Hayden in 2016. Since that time, his credits include Frequency, Grimm, and Major Crimes.
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