‘Ned’s Declassified’ Alum Devon Werkheiser Joins Jennifer Stone’s Christmas Film ’Santa Girl’

Exclusive: Devon Werkheiser, who is best known from his time starring in Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide,” has joined Jennifer Stone (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) in the upcoming Capital Arts Entertainment Christmas comedy, “Santa Girl.”

This news comes just a few weeks after Deadline made the original film announcement about Stone’s involvement in the Blayne Weaver-directed project, which also starred her fellow disney Channel alum Jason Dolley as her love interest. Now, Werkheiser has been recast in the role, as Dolley has since had to pull out due to scheduling issues.

Werkheiser’s recent film credits include the upcoming crime-drama “Break Night,” as well as the Lionsgate comedy “Where’s the Money” with Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor and Logan Paul, which comes out on Oct. 20.

As for “Santa Girl,” the film will follow Cassie (Stone), the daughter of Santa Claus (Barry Bostwick), who wants to attend college in the “real world,” but her father is hesitant to allow it, as he still hasn’t quite recovered from the loss of Mrs. Claus. Eventually, he gives in and gives Cassie permission to attend a real-world university.

This is the first time Cassie will leave the North Pole, and she must learn to navigate this new world, all while keeping her true identity a secret. It’s there, on her real-world journey, that she meets, and begins to fall for, Sam (Werkheiser).

Aside from acting, the 26-year-old, who is repped by Zero Gravity Management, is also a musician and has two EPs currently out, as well as quite a few performance videos on his YouTube. Also on his YouTube account is a video series based off of the idea of his Nickelodeon show. The first season of “Devon’s Life Survival Guide,” featuring 20 episodes, is currently up and features Werkheiser talking about all of the different issues people deal with as they go through life.

His Nickelodeon series, which also starred Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, ended 10 years ago and he’s had quite a few other shows and films since then, but with multiple movies - an R-rated comedy, a crime-drama and now a family Christmas film - on the horizon, it looks like he’s really starting to kick things up a notch.

“Santa Girl, ” which was written by Patricia Harrington, is a co-production between Capital Arts Entertainment and Shenandoah University, with over 50 of the university’s students involved in the production. Paul DiFranco, Mike Elliott, Joe Genier, Rob Kerchner and Greg Holstein are producers on the project, while Glenn Anderson and DiFranco, who will co-produce, are instructors at Shenandoah University.

Filming begins this month in Winchester, Virginia, on the university’s main campus.