Mary Beth Barone Writes & Stars Opposite Joe Alwyn In Rom-Com ‘Still We Met’; Lena Dunham Among EPs

EXCLUSIVE: Mary Beth Barone, the comedic multi-hyphenate who just set up the A24 rom-com series Hard Feelings at Hulu, has written and will star opposite Hamnet‘s Joe Alwyn in Still We Met, an original romantic comedy loosely inspired by her own experiences.

Marking the narrative feature directorial debut of Zackary Drucker, the filmmaker behind the Emmy-nominated short-form docuseries This Is Me, the film follows a young woman at a crossroads who meets a charming British stranger and spends one unforgettable night wandering New York, revealing more than either intended.

Production is set to begin this fall in New York, with Jack Heller and Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen producing for Assemble Media (The Man I Love, Skeletons), alongside Alex Bach and Daniel Powell of Irony Point (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson). Lena Dunham and Michael Cohen are exec producing under their Good Thing Going banner — which was behind Dunham’s recent Netflix series Too Much — with Madison Wolk co-producing for Assemble Media alongside Blake Mars for Good Thing Going.

Still We Met marks the feature screenwriting and acting debut of Barone, a popular stand-up comic who writes and stars opposite Benito Skinner in the Amazon/A24 comedy Overcompensating. She recently wrapped production on the show’s second season and took to Netflix to unveil her hour-long special Galaxy Brain, which debuted in the streamer’s Top 10. We were first to report on her new TV vehicle Hard Feelings, which is being fast-tracked at Hulu after landing with the streamer in a competitive situation.

Barone told Deadline, “I am beyond excited to contribute to my favorite movie genre with the incredible producers at Assemble, Irony Point, and Good Thing Going. To have decorated documentary filmmaker Zackary Drucker directing is a true honor and Joe Alwyn in the role of Isaac just could not be more perfect. It’s a very personal project. I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to share it with the world.”

Barone’s co-star Alwyn has most recently been seen starring in Chloé Zhao’s Academy Award-winning film Hamnet, Brady Corbet’s Golden Globe winner The Brutalist, and Hamlet opposite Riz Ahmed. Upcoming, he will be seen in Sam Esmail’s Panic Carefully, alongside Julia Roberts, Eddie Redmayne and Elizabeth Olsen and Apple TV’s The Husbands.

Other past credits for Drucker include the Sundance-premiering HBO doc Enigma, Peabody Award-winning film The Stroll and The Lady and the Dale, as well as Hulu’s Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl.

Drucker is repped by CAA and Elsa Ramo; Barone by Entertainment 360, UTA, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; and Alwyn by CAA, Management 360, Independent Talent Group, and Peikoff Mahan.