First Look at Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett & B.J. Britt’s New Hallmark Trilogy

Inspired by the massive success of Hallmark Channel‘s “Wedding Veil” movie franchise and 2022’s “Three Wise Men and a Baby,” Hallmark Media has unveiled its first movie male-dominated movie franchise, “The Groomsmen,” starring Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett, and B.J. Britt, per Variety. 

After weeks of rumors swirling about a possible collaboration among the trio of actors, the trilogy was announced during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on July 11, 2024, and Hallmark has since released a first look at the trio in its first trailer. All three “Hallmark hunks” were on hand in Los Angeles to celebrate their already-filmed trilogy of movies, which will premiere in the fall on Hallmark+, a just-announced streaming service that will take the place of Hallmark Movies Now.

Hallmark Releases Trailer for ‘The Groomsmen’ Hours After Announcing Trilogy

Made with longtime Hallmark director Ron Oliver at the helm, “The Groomsmen” movies — “First Look,” “Second Chances,” and “Last Dance” — will follow the “lives and romances of three longtime best friends” who stand up for each other at their weddings, Variety said. Bennett plays Danny, “a baseball coach with a heart of gold,” Britt plays Pete, a “kind-hearted pediatrician with a penchant for planning,” and Hynes plays Jackson, a “stylish and charming social media agent.”

Though the rest of the cast has not been announced, a trailer for the movie trilogy was posted on social media hours after the announcement, revealing that Hallmark actress Heather Hemmens also appears as Britt’s love interest, and Bennett’s real-life husband, Jaymes Vaughan is also involved.

Hynes and Bennett, who were already close friends, served as executive producers of the three movies, per Variety, along with Hallmark cohorts Ryan M. Murphy, Allen Lewis, Marnie Young and Oliver. Britt, who has appeared in his fair share of rom-coms including Hallmark’s “The Holiday Stocking” in 2022, per IMDb, fit right into the mix, as evidenced by the trio’s rapport during the TCA panel, multiple TV critics noted on social media.

TV Line’s Mitch Mitovitch tweeted, “Tyler Hynes, Jonathan Bennett and BJ Britt just arrived on stage with a choreographed number set to ‘Shake Your Groove Thing.’”

Philicia Kennedy-Flamer, manager of programming at Hallmark Media, told Variety, “We can’t wait for viewers to come along on these romantic journeys in new and fresh ways as we tell this story from the groom’s side for the first time ever. Jonathan, Tyler and B.J. are a dream team. Their performances are infused with a humor and warmth that brings these stories to life beyond our expectations and created something truly special.”

Cast of ‘The Groomsmen’ Have Tried to Keep Project a Secret, But Posted Hints Along the Way for Eagle-Eyed Fans

The “Groomsmen” announcement solves the mystery that diehard Hallmarkies have been trying to solve for weeks, with many noticing cryptic social media posts by Hynes, Bennett and Britt as well as Oliver, which placed them in similar locations — Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria — at the same times.

On June 19, for instance, Bennett posted a photo in his Instagram Stories of a camera crew working in the woods and wrote, “Making movies in the forest.” Oliver posted a similar shot on Instagram the same day, noting that his “latest epic finds him lost in the woods, and very happy.”

Bennett also left a coy comment on May 28, when Britt posted a video from the plane as he was on his way to Europe to start filming. Britt wrote, “Just a few hours to go✈️” and Bennett replied, “Ohhhhh. I hope you’re going somewhere good.”

Hynes, who book-ended the long European shoot with two other huge projects — the filming of the “Three Wise Men and a Baby” sequel and the Kansas City Chiefs-inspired movie he’s now filming with Hunter King — posted a series of behind-the-scenes shots from each project and piqued fans’ curiosity when he revealed he had been working on “five movies in four months.”

The following day, on July 5, Bennett also posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the still-secret “Groomsmen” shoot and wrote, “What a ride it has been, and honor it is to make stories that mean something. I hope when you see these stories you find a part of them that you identify with and they mean something to you. Because THAT is our why. Why we do what we do. And sure, we have a little fun in the process.”

When Hynes replied with a film clapboard emoji, Bennett joked, “I can’t wait for you to see these movies.”

Hemmens has also posted scenes from her filming journey in her Instagram stories. On July 8 — a day before Bennett posted about wrapping the movies — she posted a selfie on Instagram with hashtags for Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy, writing, “Adventures in countries far away, friendships, people and experiences I will remember forever. MAGICAL ✨ That’s a wrap! 🎬”

Liv Lane is an entertainment writer who covers the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. Based in Minneapolis, she has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. More about Liv Lane