Ramy Youssef In Talks To Join Emma Stone In Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’ For Searchlight & Film4

EXCLUSIVE: Golden Globe winning actor Ramy Youssef is in negotiations to board Poor Things, Searchlight and Film4’s reteam with The Favourite filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone.

Youssef’s role is under wraps. Poor Things is a Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring, and tells the incredible story of Belle Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by an eccentric but brilliant scientist. As Deadline first told you last month, Willem Dafoe is also in talks to join. Searchlight provided no comment in regards to Youssef’s talks.

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Searchlight and Film4 were behind Lanthimos’ period comedy The Favourite which was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture, and won Best Actress for Olivia Colman. The Oscar nominated screenwriter of that film, Tony McNamara, is also adapting here for Lanthimos again from the novel Poor Things by Alasdair Grey. Producers are Fruit Tree, Emma Stone’s production company with Ali Herting and Dave McCary, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe’s Element Pictures and Film4. The Favourite grossed over $95M at the WW box office, and was a crossover hit for arthouses.

Youssef won Best Actor in a TV series comedy or musical at the Golden Globes last year for Hulu’s Ramy which he co-created, wrote, directed and served as EP. Youssef was also nominated again at the Globes this year for Ramy and was nominated twice at last year’s Emmys in the Comedy Series Directing and Lead Actor categories. He was nominated at this year’s SAG awards for Ramy in the Lead Actor Comedy Series category. Youssef’s TV credits include the Emmy-winning Mr. Robot and Nickelodeon’s See Dad Run, and features Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot and the John Hamburg directed 20th Century Fox comedy Why Him?

Youssef is repped by WME, Range Media Partners, and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.

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