Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby will no longer star opposite actor Amr Youssef in a sequel to the 2001 romance-drama film “El Sellem Wel Teban” (“The Ladder and The Snake”).
The project was set to mark the duo's second collaboration after the 2013 star-studded TV series "Niran Sadiqa".
Tarek Alarian, the film’s original director and co-writer, is also returning to helm the sequel.
Alarian is directing the pic from a script written by Ahmed Hosny.
The sequel recently began principal photography under the title of "Ahmed and Malek".
The upcoming film is being touted to be entirely different from the first film, both in terms of visual style and character development.
Asmaa Galal has been tapped to serve as Shalaby's replacement after she parted ways with the pic.
The sequel reunites Galal and Youssef for the second time after collaborating in 2024's "Welad Rizk 3: El Qadya".
The sequel was announced at the 7th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival in October 2024.
The original film starred Hani Salama, Ahmed Helmy, Hala Shiha, Ragaa Al-Geddawy, Tarek El Tilmisany, and more. Alarian directed the pic from a script he co-wrote with Mohamed Hefzy.
“El Sellem Wel Teban” is centered around Hazem, a reckless young man, who fails at being a good husband and father. His life changes when he meets Yasmin, and they both face issues that force them to fall in love with each other.
The film went through many stages during its preparations, during which Hefzy wrote the script in English.
Al-Aryan was very enthusiastic about the project, which was different from the films available at that time. At one point, Ahmed El Sakka was nominated for the work, but he refused to star in it because he was not convinced by its plot.
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