“Ramy” star Ramy Youssef is in talks to join the cast of “Poor Things,” the next film from “The Favourite” director Yorgos Lanthimos that stars Emma Stone, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Willem Dafoe is also in talks to join the film that’s set up at Searchlight and Film4. Lanthimos’ film is an adaptation of the novel “Poor Things” by Alasdair Grey, and Tony McNamara, the screenwriter on “The Favourite” and the Hulu series “The Great,” is writing the script.
“Poor Things” is set in the Victorian era and stars Stone as a young woman brought back to life by an eccentric, brilliant scientist. Youssef’s role is being kept under wraps. Searchlight had no comment on Youssef’s involvement.
“Poor Things” is produced by Emma Stone’s Fruit Tree with Ali Herting and Dave McCary. Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe’s Element Pictures and Film4 are also producing.
Lanthimos is the director of “The Lobster,” “Dogtooth” and the Best Picture nominee “The Favourite,” which won an Oscar for Olivia Colman and grossed over $95 million worldwide for Searchlight.
Youssef is the star, writer and creator of his namesake show “Ramy” on Hulu. He won the Golden Globe for the first season of the show for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for two Emmys that same year, and he was nominated again for the show’s equally acclaimed second season.
Ramy Youssef is represented by WME, Range Media Partners, and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.
Deadline first reported the news of the casting.