The Safdie Chaos Factor

Josh Safdie, one half of the brothers who gave us anxiety-inducing masterpieces like Uncut Gems and Good Time, is back with his solo directorial debut, Marty Supreme. Starring Timothée Chalamet as a fictionalized ping pong prodigy Marty Reisman, the film is generating Oscar buzz for its frantic energy and period design.

But in a recent Q&A, Safdie revealed the movie almost ended very differently.

"He was going to bite him"

Safdie admitted that an early draft of the script leaned heavily into magical realism—specifically, vampirism. "There was a version where Marty's mentor wasn't just old," Safdie laughed. "He was ancient. Undead. The idea was that ping pong requires supernatural reflexes. We were going to possess Marty with a vampire spirit in the third act."

Why It Was Cut

Ultimately, A24 and Chalamet agreed that the vampire twist undermined the human drama of the story. The film is about obsession, legacy, and the hustle of 1950s New York. Turning it into a horror movie at the last second felt like a "hat on a hat."

However, eagle-eyed viewers can still spot a reference. There is a line where Marty tells his rival, "You look like you haven't seen the sun in years." A remnant of the supernatural draft that made the final cut.

Chalamet's Transformation

Even without fangs, Chalamet transforms. Sporting a pencil mustache and a thick Bronx accent, he disappears into the role, proving once again he is the leading man of his generation.

Marty Supreme is in theaters now.