Drake and Josh Do Christmas

Nickelodeon Thursday announced that Drake Bell and Josh Peck, stars of the network’s popular teen sitcom Drake & Josh, will co-star in “Drake & Josh: Best Christmas Ever,” an original television movie coming to the network in December.

Filming on the new movie, which was announced Thursday by Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s, executive vice president, development and original programming, begins in July in Los Angeles.

Nickelodeon officials said “Drake & Josh: Best Christmas Ever” will “blend the classic buddy comedy viewers have come to expect from Drake Bell and Josh Peck, with a heartwarming story for the season.”

“We hope to create a holiday classic that families will be able to enjoy together for years to come,” Cohn said in a statement.

The primetime project will be executive produced by series creator Dan Schneider (Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly), Marjorie Cohn and Lauren Levine (Bridge to Terabithia, Gym Teacher: The Movie), and Michael Grossman (Grey’s Anatomy, Dirty Sexy Money) will direct. Scott McAboy is producer; Robin Weiner is consulting producer and Drake Bell and Josh Peck are co-producers.

Network officials said the comic adventure unfolds as a mall Santa and his helper—alias Drake and Josh—promise an adorable little girl that her foster parents and siblings will have “the best Christmas ever.” It’s a pledge that will change their holiday and their lives—and one that’s tough to keep after Drake’s antics at a holiday party land responsible Josh in jail.

Drake & Josh recently won its second Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Award for “Favorite TV Show,” while Bell clinched his third consecutive prized blimp for “Favorite TV Actor.” The show first broke records in January 2004 as Nick’s highest-rated series premiere in almost 10 years. In the first week of 2006, the television movie “Drake & Josh Go Hollywood” ranked as the highest-rated TV movie with kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14 in Nickelodeon history and was the top-rated show on all of broadcast and cable television within its key demos.

In August 2007 “Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp” reeled in even bigger ratings and nearly 6 million viewers to make Nick history again as the highest-rated Nick TV movie ever among tweens and total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.