Ramy Youssef Directing A24 Feature ‘Martha,’ With Josh Safdie Co-Writing — Shoots in October

I’m hearing that comedian Ramy Youssef is attached to direct his first feature for A24, with Josh Safdie coming aboard as co-writer on the screenplay, and producing duties.

The project is being kept under wraps, with plot details and casting being closely guarded, but it’s currently going by the title “Martha” and is set to start production this October in New York. Expect to hear more about this one in the coming days.

The Youssef/Safdie pairing is certainly an intriguing one. Youssef, best known for creating and starring in “Ramy,” has increasingly established himself as a filmmaker, directing episodes of the series as well as projects including “The Bear.” Safdie, meanwhile, has been pursuing his own solo filmmaking career following his split with brother Benny, most recently directing “Marty Supreme” for A24.

This shift to features for Youssef is not out of the blue. Yorgos Lanthimos appears to have been an important influence on Youssef’s move toward filmmaking. While working with Lanthimos on “Poor Things,” Youssef told GQ that the Greek filmmaker encouraged him to direct movies rather than TV.

Youssef said the advice was a significant push for him, calling it “pretty cool,” even though Lanthimos had delivered it “aggressively.” He explained that Lanthimos’ encouragement made him more serious about pursuing a feature-length film.

As for Safdie, this isn’t the first time he has teamed up with a comedian on a film project. Last week, we learned that Safdie had co-written a mystery project with Matt Johnson (“Tony”), although no further details were disclosed. Regardless, Safdie is keeping busy, and it’ll be interesting to see how this team-up with Youssef turns out.

More to come on this project, which — if all falls into place — could reach theaters by 2027.