Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s Fruit Tree Inks First-Look Deal at Universal Pictures

Emma Stone and Dave McCary‘s Fruit Tree has entered into a first-look production pact with Universal Pictures.

The deal expands on the creative partnership between Fruit Tree — led by two-time Oscar winner Stone, Emmy nominated writer-director McCary and Ali Herting — and the studio, following news that Stone will star in an upcoming Universal film directed by McCary.

“I’ve long admired Emma’s versatility as an actress, fearlessly embodying every role. Paired with Dave’s distinctive comedic voice and creative instincts, we’ve seen the incredible work they have accomplished together,” said Donna Langley, NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer, in a statement announcing the new pact. “We’re thrilled to support the creative ambition and vision that Emma and Dave will continue to bring to projects behind the camera.”

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Founded in 2020 by Stone and McCary, with Herting joining shortly thereafter, Fruit Tree’s acclaimed catalogue of work includes Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” (for which Stone won her second best actress Oscar), Julio Torres’ “Problemista,” Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and Jesse Eisenberg’s upcoming film, “A Real Pain.” Stone and McCary also executive produced Showtime’s “The Curse,” in which Stone also starred. Forthcoming Fruit Tree projects include “Bugonia,” Stone and Lanthimos’ latest collaboration, set at Focus Features, and “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” a docuseries directed by Margaret Brown for HBO. Before launching Fruit Tree, McCary previously directed “Brigsby Bear” and was a writer-director on “Saturday Night Live” (where he and Stone first met in 2016) for five seasons.

“Fruit Tree was founded with a passion for supporting ambitious filmmakers and bold storytelling,” said Stone and McCary. “Working with the amazing team at Universal allows us to push those boundaries even further. We couldn’t be more grateful to Donna, Peter, and Erik for their partnership, and we are looking forward to what the future holds together.”