Dan Levy, the winner of four Emmys, is making the leap to feature films and he’s bringing a slew of A-list actors with him. The Schitt’s Creek actor’s first collaboration with Netflix will be the original feature Good Grief, which he will write, direct, and star in under the Not A Real Production Company moniker. In addition to Levy, the film will also star Himesh Patel (Yesterday), Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Arnaud Valois (BPM (Beats Per Minute)), David Bradley (Harry Potter), and Jamael Westman (Hamilton). In this romantic comedy, Marc Dreyfuss (Levy) is trying to go on with his life after the loss of his mother by settling down with his wife.
Now that his new husband has died suddenly, however, Marc is overcome with sadness and must face the emotions he had been trying to ignore. After such a devastating loss, he and his two closest friends decide to spend a weekend in Paris looking for themselves. Levy has released a statement in which he discusses the film’s highly personal nature and its treatment of loss. For those who have spent their lives avoiding the truth, Good Grief is a cautionary story about the messiness of friendship and loss.
It’s a hilarious and melancholy effort that’s helped me deal with my personal loss. Also, I’m crossing my fingers that it helps others as much as it has me. Considering Levy’s background in television directing, taking on Good Grief should be an easy transition for him. As a co-director of the Schitt’s Creek episode “Happy Ending” with Andrew Cividino, he won an Emmy for his efforts. Along with hosting and judging the food competition The Big Brunch on HBO Max, he will also direct the new series. Here, he gets to helm yet another impressive cast, including Oscar nominee Ruth Negga and Emmy nominee Dev Patel.
Megan Zehmer, president and co-founder of Not A Real Production Company, is working alongside Levy on the film. Following years of service as his publicist and co-worker on Schitt’s Creek, Levy promoted Zehmer to the position of president of his new production banner early this year. The Hayward sisters, Stacey, Kate, and Debra will all contribute to the production team.