BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The first trailer has dropped for actor Dan Roebuck’s “Saint Nick of Bethlehem” — and the holiday movie bearing the name of the Christmas City actually was filmed here.
Running at a lengthy 3 minutes and 45 seconds, the trailer hit Facebook on Monday as the first official teaser for the film.
Roebuck plays the title character of Nick McNulty, who is distraught after losing his son but “finds closure and discovers a new purpose when he takes on the role of Santa Claus.”
The flick began shooting in November, starting with scenes at the Snow Goose Gallery, 470 Main St.
Other filming locations included Historic Hotel Bethlehem, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, the Kiffle Kitchen Bakery in Bath, the Star of Bethlehem, Christkindlmarkt and more.
Noah’s Night of Lights in Morrisdale, Clearfield County, also served as a main filming location and set.
Move over, Hallmark
Roebuck, who often uses his hometown in his productions, teased back in fall that he was working on a new project, "Miracle in Winnipeg, Manitoba.”
It was a tongue-in-cheek response to Hallmark’s “Miracle in Bethlehem, Pa.” actually being based in Winnipeg, the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada.
The Hallmark film aired in December and did not include any local production or stock footage of Bethlehem.
"I was so excited to hear the news and then confused when they said they were shooting it in Winnipeg,” Roebuck said at a news conference before announcing his production company, Magic Bean Entertainment, would be part of the team bringing “Saint Nick of Bethlehem” to the big screen.
The film’s cast not only includes local thespians and the work of costume designer Kristin Dundon, but will feature the music of composer Alex Kovacs, formerly of Allentown.
Filming to resume this spring
While the first trailer is out, filming has yet to wrap.
“We are excited to finish filming this April back in Christmas City USA, Bethlehem Pennsylvania!” the Facebook post said Monday.
Anyone looking to get involved in production and help bring the story to life is encouraged to email SaintNickMovie@gmail.com.
