Ramy Youssef and Steve Way Team Up for Body Swap Comedy

Ramy Youssef, Steve Way and Jon Braylock will make an untitled body swap comedy for Inevitable Studios and Give Not Take Media. Way will star and co-write the script with Braylock. The three will also produce.

The premise is contained and specific. A man with muscular dystrophy, played by Way, swaps bodies with his burly caregiver. The filmmakers promise hilarious consequences. Further plot details remain under wraps.

What does this change for disability-led filmmaking?

The production partners carry a clear mission. Inevitable Studios sits inside Inevitable Foundation, led by co-founders Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska. The foundation backs commercial film and television stories told through a disability lens. Give Not Take Media, founded in 2011, is a multimedia entertainment company working to transform U.S. systems and culture of care. The project places a disabled performer and writer at the center of a mainstream comedy format, backed by companies built for exactly that purpose.

A partnership built since middle school

Youssef and Way have been friends since middle school, growing up together in New Jersey. Their working history runs deep. Way played Steve in the 2019 Hulu series "Ramy," which Youssef wrote, directed and starred in. Way then appeared as himself in the stand-up special "Ramy Youssef: More Feelings."

Way was most recently featured in Hulu's "Furious," one of his first projects booked without the support of Youssef. This new film reunites the pair as producers and collaborators.

Who is Jon Braylock?

Braylock co-created and starred in Netflix's "Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show." His writing credits include "Golden Axe," "Ted: The Animated Series," "Grown-Ish" and "The G Word With Adam Conover." He also co-hosts the podcast "Black Men Can't Jump In Hollywood."

Youssef's expanding slate

Youssef is currently in production on his feature directorial debut, "Martha and Muhammad," for A24. He stars opposite Sharon Stone in that film. He most recently released his third HBO stand-up special, "Ramy Youssef: In Love." Youssef will produce the body swap comedy through his Cairo Cowboy production company.

Representation for the trio reflects the project's industry footing. Way is represented by Steven C. Schecter and Narrative. Youssef is represented by WME, Entertainment 360, Yorn Levine and Narrative. Braylock is represented by IAG, Mainstay Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello.

No release date, director or additional cast has been announced. With Way co-writing and producing alongside two mission-driven studios, the film stands to become one of the most visible disability-centered comedies now in development.