Fran Drescher joins Timothée Chalamet in Josh Safdie’s ‘Marty Supreme’

Queens is in the building! Fran Drescher, best known for her role as Fran Fine on “The Nanny” and for her current role as president of SAG-AFTRA, is teaming up with another Queens booster, Josh Safdie. Drescher has signed on to play Timothée Chalamet’s character’s mother in Safdie’s ping-pong drama “Marty Supreme,” Variety reports. 

“Marty Supreme,” from A24, follows a table tennis pro in the 1950s. The film is reportedly inspired by the life of influential table tennis champion Marty Reisman, but is fictionalized and not a biopic. Oscar nominee Chalamet stars in the film. He went viral earlier this week when photos of him in a dorky 1950s costume on the film’s New York set hit the internet. 

In addition to Chalamet and Drescher, the film’s eccentric cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, rapper Tyler, the Creator in his acting debut, Odessa A’zion, Penn Jillette, “Shark Tank” personality Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary, and filmmaker Abel Ferrara. The script is by Safdie and frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein.

Drescher earned two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for her performance on the ‘90s sitcom “The Nanny,” which she co-created. “Marty Supreme” will be her first film role since the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike last year, which she helped negotiate. She is also expected to appear in the upcoming “This Is Spinal Tap” sequel.

Safdie is best known for his A24 films made in collaboration with his brother Benny, “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems.” Since the brothers ended their creative partnership, Josh has directed Adam Sandler’s stand-up special “Love You” and is developing another movie with “Uncut Gems” star Sandler set in the world of sports memorabilia. The Safdie brothers won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Director for “Uncut Gems” and were nominated for an Emmy this year for producing the HBO documentary series “Telemarketers.”