François Arnaud Boards Mike Birbiglia’s Focus Features Comedy ‘Old Friends New Friends’ (Exclusive)

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Google Preferred
• Share to Flipboard
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Send an Email
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

François Arnaud is joining Mike Birbiglia‘s upcoming focus features comedy Old Friends New Friends, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.

The Heated Rivalry actor boards the summer camp-set film written and directed by Birbiglia. He joins a previously announced cast of Kathryn Newton (Avengers: Doomsday, Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Beach Read, The White Lotus), Geraldine Viswanathan (Thunderbolts, Drive-Away Dolls) and Dylan Gelula (Dream Scenario, Smile 2).

Related Stories

'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 Adds Kevin Zegers, Paul Gross and Milla Jovovich

'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 Finds Its Troy and Harris in Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith

Old Friends New Friends logline reads, “When a tight-knit group of college friends travels to a summer camp for their old friend’s wedding, they discover he’s built a new life — with new friends — forcing them to confront what they’ve lost, who they’ve become and whether growing up means growing apart.”

Arnaud’s had a busy year since debuting his role of Scott Hunter in Heated Rivalry in late 2025, where he played the elder statesman figure of the fictional hockey universe. “It made me feel like I’m fucking ancient,” the actor jokingly told THR after the show premiered last year.

“It’s weird. I feel like I’ve been an up-and-coming actor my whole life and I just turned into a veteran in three weeks,” he said. “I’m like, oh, God, I feel like Ian McKellen.”

Arnaud’s set to make his Broadway debut next Spring in a revival of Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, starring alongside David Corenswet and Yvonne Strahovski. The actor’s also set to return for the hockey romance series’ second season, which is filming this summer in Toronto. His character of Scott returns as a supporting player in the new season.

Birbiglia’s set to produce alongside Jacob Jaffke and Joe Hartwick for Oddball Entertainment. Arnaud is represented by Independent Artist Group, Impression Entertainment and Brecheen Feldman Breimer.

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

• Heat Vision

  ‘Practical Magic 2’ Whips Up $4.7M in Box Office Previews