Few filmmakers make wit feel as effortless as Susanna Fogel, whose stories often balance sharp humor with perceptive emotional insight. The Emmy-nominated and Directors Guild of America Award winning filmmaker has built an impressive reputation through projects such as The Flight Attendant, the lively coming-of-age comedy Booksmart, and the provocative drama Cat Person.

Now Susanna Fogel returns to the romantic comedy arena, this time with Netflix supporting a new project that promises her signature humor and emotional intelligence

As per Deadline, Netflix is developing Primal, a new romantic comedy written and directed by Susanna Fogel. Fogel will also produce the film alongside Melissa Wells through the production banner, Big Adventure. The project continues Susanna Fogel’s reputation for crafting character-driven stories that mix humor with emotional intelligence.

At the center of the story is Jane, a teenager whose life largely unfolds online, where friendships, conversations, and daily routines exist behind screens. Her digital comfort zone is disrupted during a trip to a remote island, where she meets Teddy, the lone survivor of a plane crash living entirely off the grid.

Following the success of Ponies, Fogel is already moving toward her next project. The critically acclaimed 1970s-set spy thriller, which Fogel co-created, wrote, directed, and executive produced, starred Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. After earning praise for its sharp storytelling, the filmmaker now turns her attention back to romantic comedy.

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While Susanna Fogel is busy shaping the upcoming Little House on the Prairie series, which is already stirring curiosity about its second season, Primal highlights the filmmaker’s unmistakable flair for clever, character-driven romantic comedies.

Romantic comedies have always enjoyed clever dialogue, but Susanna Fogel appears particularly fond of giving them a backbone as well. Her stories rarely revolve around the predictable pursuit of a charming man. Instead, Fogel treats female friendships as the real emotional epicenter of the narrative.

That approach was evident in Life Partners, which examined the shifting relationship between two best friends when one enters a serious romantic partnership. Rather than treating the male love interest as the central story, Fogel placed the friendship itself at the emotional center of the narrative. A similar sensibility appears in The Spy Who Dumped Me, where Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon portray ordinary friends thrown into international espionage after a breakup.   

The film cleverly replaces the suave spy archetype with two bewildered but loyal companions, turning genre expectations into a comedic playground. Even the spirited coming-of-age comedy Booksmart, which lists Susanna Fogel among its writers, reflects her affection for fiercely loyal female friendships. With the upcoming romantic comedy Primal, Susanna Fogel appears ready to place that signature sensibility at the center of a new love story.

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Are you excited for Susanna Fogel's upcoming romantic comedy? Let us know in the comments!