After acquiring the rights to the romantic comedy last summer, Netflix has begun building an ensemble cast for the forthcoming Love Hard with the additions of Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Jimmy O. Yang (Fantasy Island) and Charles Melton (Bad Boys for Life), according to Deadline.
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Written by Danny Mackey and former literary-agent-turned screenwriter Rebecca Ewing, the story is described as a combination of When Harry Met Sally and Roxanne and centers on an LA girl who falls in love with an East Coast guy on a dating app, but when she tries to surprise him for Christmas, she learns that she’s been catfished. She later learns that the object of her affection does live in the same town as her catfisher, who promises that if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays, he will help set the two of them up.
The film is set to be directed by Hernán Jiménez, best-known for the acclaimed 2016 Costa Rican drama About Us and the 2018 ensemble dramedy Elsewhere, and will be produced by McG and Mary Viola through their Wonderland production banner while Steve Bello is attached to executive produce the project.
Following her departure from the long-running CW series, Dobrev’s film schedule began to fill up with the box office smash comedy Let’s Be Cops, the acclaimed horror-comedy The Final Girls, the blockbuster action pic xXx: The Return of Xander Cage and most recently in the political drama Run This Town and crime actioner Lucky Day.
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After years of guest appearances on various TV comedies and stand-up performances, Yang found his breakout role in HBO’s hit comedy Silicon Valley in 2014 and after wowing critics for a few years on the series he would make his way to film in Peter Berg’s Patriots Day followed by a successful past couple of years with Crazy Rich Asians, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Like a Boss and Fantasy Island.
Melton made his acting debut with guest appearances in Glee and American Horror Story: Hotel before breaking out as Reggie Mantle on The CW’s Riverdale and began landing key roles in big screen affairs such as the romantic drama The Sun is Also a Star and Bad Boys for Life.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)
