Following their romantic leads in the Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You, actors Mason Thames and McKenna Grace reunite on the big screen in the Green Day-inspired film Nimrods, which arrived in theaters in August 2026 after a nearly year-long wave of real-life romance speculation.
Back-to-Back Projects and the Making of Nimrods
Nearly a year after they first appeared onscreen together, Mason Thames and McKenna Grace are playing romantic opposites once more. While the Colleen Hoover romance Regretting You premiered in October 2025, Thames revealed that he and Grace actually filmed the Green Day-inspired movie Nimrods first. So we did Green Day first. Green Day movie first, and then we did Regretting You right after,
Thames explained to People in reporting covered by Deadline. But it was just so wild. The coincidence of two back-to-back is awesome and we love it.
In Nimrods, Thames stars as Tommy, a teenager who receives a call inviting him and his band, Analog Dogs, to open for Green Day on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. Unaware that the invitation is an elaborate prank pulled by his older brother Wayne—played by Keen Ruffalo—Tommy steals Wayne’s car and launches into a cross-country road trip from Kansas City alongside bandmates Fred, played by Kylr Coffman, and Chad, played by Ryan Foust. Along the route, Tommy encounters fellow punk Olivia, played by Grace, sparking a flirtation after watching her perform.
The production leaned into its musical roots by incorporating original tracks. Both lead actors contribute to the movie’s soundtrack, with Grace featuring her own song and Thames recording vocals for the band’s repertoire. Co-writer and director Lee Kirk praised the young cast’s dedication to the material. I mean, those kids are fantastic. They can do anything,
Kirk told Deadline, noting that Jakob Armstrong—son of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong—wrote the songs performed by the Analog Dogs.
From Onscreen Chemistry to the 2026 Oscars Red Carpet
The professional pairing mirrors a heavily scrutinized off-screen relationship that kept fans and gossip columns busy for months. The timeline began in August 2024 when the cast for Regretting You was officially announced. The pair made their initial public appearance together soon after at Netflix’s Incoming House Party event, before principal photography commenced in Atlanta in March 2025.
Speculation accelerated in April 2025 when Grace posted a TikTok featuring a playfully staged kiss with Thames. Subsequent sightings followed, including an appearance together at an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks alongside co-star Dave Franco. By June 2025, the pair sparked direct dating rumors when photographers captured them holding hands in New York City.
As media attention mounted, Thames addressed the public fascination in an interview with Seventeen. Yeah, it is strange.
But I’ve always sort of been off the internet.
Having people speculate so much, especially having mutual friends texting me and asking…it’s wild.
I’m still not used to it.
The relationship transition moved from digital hints to public confirmation across late 2025 and early 2026. In February 2026, Thames shared vacation photos from Paris on Instagram, including an image of Grace kissing him on the cheek near the Eiffel Tower. Grace cemented the status in March 2026 by bringing Thames as her date to the 2026 Oscars, turning Hollywood’s biggest night into their official relationship hard-launch.
Mutual Drive and Future Professional Collaborations
Behind the public speculation lies a shared intensity for their craft. Reflecting on their time on set, Thames has consistently praised his co-star’s work ethic. In interviews around his birthday in August 2025, he highlighted Grace’s dedication. I’ve never met somebody with a work ethic like hers.
She pushes herself every day harder and harder and she’s so incredibly talented.
Kirk similarly observed that their professional rapport brought an underlying sincerity to their performances. That mutual respect leaves both actors open to sharing the screen a third time, provided the material matches their ambitions. If we were ever going to do another job together, we’d want it to be so special and so awesome, so whenever that moment arises, we’re going to snatch it up,
Thames told Deadline.
