Comedian and filmmaker Mike Birbiglia is making his return to the director’s chair after a decade away from feature films. Focus Features has given the green light to Old Friends New Friends, a new ensemble comedy that Birbiglia wrote and will direct.
The project brings together a strong cast of rising Hollywood stars. Lucas Hedges, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Dylan Gelula are set to lead the film. Production is expected to start in fall 2026, though Focus Features has not yet announced a specific release date.
What ‘Old Friends New Friends’ Is About
The movie follows a close group of college friends who travel to a summer camp for their old friend’s wedding. When they arrive, they find that their friend has built a completely new life and has an entirely new circle of friends. This forces the group to face hard questions about what they have lost over the years, who they have become, and whether growing up means growing apart.
The premise fits well with Birbiglia’s previous work. His 2016 film Don’t Think Twice explored similar themes of friendship, ambition, and jealousy within a close-knit improv comedy group in New York.
The Cast Behind the Comedy
Lucas Hedges, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in Manchester by the Sea, joins the project. He has also appeared in Lady Bird, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Honey Boy.
Patrick Schwarzenegger gained attention for his role in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus. He will also appear in the upcoming film Beach Read.
Geraldine Viswanathan, known for her work in Blockers, Drive-Away Dolls, and Thunderbolts, brings comedy experience to the ensemble.
Dylan Gelula has appeared in Dream Scenario, Smile 2, and Shithouse.
Birbiglia’s Return to Filmmaking
Old Friends New Friends marks Mike Birbiglia’s first feature film as a director since Don’t Think Twice released in 2016. That film, which starred Birbiglia alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher, and Chris Gethard, received critical praise after its premiere at SXSW.
Birbiglia first broke out as a filmmaker with Sleepwalk with Me in 2012. That semi-autobiographical dramedy about a struggling stand-up comic dealing with sleepwalking and fear of marriage won the Best of NEXT Audience Award at Sundance. The film grew out of his one-man stage show of the same name and was distributed through IFC Films.
What Birbiglia Has Been Doing Since 2016
While Birbiglia has not directed a feature film in ten years, he has stayed busy. He has concentrated on his autobiographical solo stage shows, taking both The New One and The Old Man & The Pool to Broadway. Both shows were later adapted into Netflix comedy specials.
The Old Man & the Pool earned an Emmy nomination. His most recent special, The Good Life from 2025, explored themes of fatherhood, aging, and his relationship with his own father. All six of his solo shows have had successful runs on and off Broadway and have been released on Netflix.
Birbiglia has also hosted the creative-process podcast Working It Out since 2020. He has helped produce acclaimed solo shows by other comedians including Alex Edelman and Jacqueline Novak. He has also taken on occasional acting roles, most notably appearing in A Man Called Otto.
Earlier this month, Birbiglia announced he would cancel some stand-up dates with John Mulaney because a “dream project” was coming together. That project is now confirmed as Old Friends New Friends.
Who Is Producing the Film
Birbiglia will direct from his own script and produce the movie alongside Jacob Jaffke and Joe Hartwick for Oddball Entertainment. Jaffke’s credits include the X trilogy and Dream Scenario. Hartwick has worked on the Maze Runner franchise and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Focus Features, the studio behind the project, is having a strong year. Its horror film Obsession has crossed $500 million, making it the label’s most successful movie ever. Upcoming Focus releases include Paul Greengrass’s period action movie The Uprising, a new version of Sense and Sensibility, and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu follow-up Werwulf.
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What This Means for Birbiglia’s Career
Old Friends New Friends is not exactly a comeback for Birbiglia, since he has remained active in comedy and theater. But it does mark his long-awaited return to narrative filmmaking after focusing on other creative work for the past decade.
Birbiglia’s previous films show his talent for blending comedy with emotional depth. Don’t Think Twice examined the complicated mix of friendship, ambition, and disappointment within a close group of performers. His new project appears to explore similar territory, this time looking at how college friendships change as people grow older and build separate lives.
The cast brings together actors with strong dramatic and comedic credentials. Hedges has Oscar-nominated dramatic work on his resume, while Schwarzenegger, Viswanathan, and Gelula have shown their comedy skills in recent films and television shows.
Production is set to begin in fall 2026. Focus Features has not yet announced a release date or confirmed where the film will be available for audiences.
Birbiglia is represented by UTA and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham. Hedges is represented by Untitled Entertainment and Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver Thompson. Schwarzenegger is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360, and Patrick Knapp at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Viswanathan is represented by WME, Entertainment 360, Mollison Keightley Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Gelula is represented by Mosaic, Gersh, Michael Auerbach at Jackoway Austen Tyerman, and Shelter PR.
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