[4] A newly appointed judge (McEntire) must grapple with the big personalities of a small town.

In June 2022, it was reported that Reba McEntire will star and also serve as an executive producer on the new Lifetime movie The Hammer.

Also was cast McEntire's real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn, and Kay Shioma Metchie.

[5] McEntire and Linn met in 1991 when they worked on the television movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991).

Wanker was in frequent contact by phone and text with McEntire during production, but conflicting schedules prohibited the two from meeting prior to the film's premiere.