'Happiness For Beginners': Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, More To Star In Rom-Com

Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Nico Santos, Blythe Danner — (L-R) Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Nico Santos and Blythe Danner AP Images

Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Luke Grimes (Yellowstone), Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians) and Blythe Danner (I’ll See You in My Dreams) have signed on to star in Happiness for Beginners, a Netflix romantic comedy from writer-director Vicky Wight (The Lost Husband, The Volunteer).

The film is based on Katherine Center’s novel of the same name and centers on Helen (Kemper), who signs up for a wilderness survival course a year after getting divorced. She discovers through this experience that in getting she has found herself.

Wight is producing the film with Geoff Linville and Berry Meyerowitz. Jeff Sackman and Larry Greenburg are its executive producers. Information on the roles to be played by Grimes, Santos and Danner has not yet been disclosed.

Kemper is a two-time Emmy nominee perhaps best known for her starring turn in Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and for her portrayal of Erin Hannon in NBC comedy The Office. Additional TV credits include Disney’s Sofia the First and Universal Television’s The Mindy Project. The actress has previously appeared on the big screen in Jamie Babbit’s The Stand In, Chris Renaud’s The Secret Life of Pets 2, Jake Kasdan’s Sex Tape, Lynn Shelton’s Laggies and more. She is represented by WME, Mosaic, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman.

Grimes is perhaps best known for his turn as Kayce Dutton in Taylor Sheridan and John Linson’s Paramount Network drama series, Yellowstone. He has previously recurred on HBO’s True Blood and ABC’s Brothers & Sisters. The actor has also appeared on the film side in in Fifty Shades of Grey and sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, as well as in Antoine Fuqua’s Western The Magnificent Seven, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper and more. He is repped by CAA and Range Media Partners.

Santos is a two-time Critics’ Choice Award nominee best known for his series regular role as Mateo in NBC comedy, Superstore. The actor will next appear in Andy Palmer’s feature The Re-Education of Molly Singer and in HBO Max animated comedy series, The Prince. He’s previously appeared in films including Crazy Rich Asians and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and is repped by Greene & Associates, Spektor Entertainment and Morris Yorn.

Danner is a two-time Emmy winner who has recently appeared on the TV side in Starz’s American Gods and the Will & Grace reboot at NBC. The actress has previously appeared in series including Netflix’s Gypsy, ABC’s Madoff, NBC’s Up All Night, and Showtime’s Huff, among others. She’s perhaps best known on the film side for her turn as Dina, the mother of Teri Polo’s Pam, in the Meet the Parents franchise, having also appeared in such titles as Hearts Beat Loud, I’ll See You in My Dreams, What They Had, Hello I Must Be Going, and The Prince of Tides, among others. Danner is repped by Anonymous Content.