After growing up in front of the camera, as a child on “Dirty Sexy Money” and then on to more TV work and films like “The Babysitter,” queer actor Bella Thorne has turned her attention to the other side of the lens. She’s just wrapped production on her feature directorial debut, “Color Your Hurt,” an expansion of an earlier short film, and one she wrote based on the experiences of her lead actor, Jason Parks (making his feature film debut). It’s the story of a young gay man struggling with self-acceptance amidst the hostility of his community, and it all turns quite nightmarish. The supporting cast includes Emmy Award winner Christopher Eccleston (“Jude”), Tammy Blanchard (“Into the Woods”), Gideon Glick (“Maestro”), Jordan Alexander (“Gossip Girl”), Linus Roache (“Mandy”) and Dylan Baker (“Happiness”). No word yet on distribution or release dates, but this is one to anticipate.
Terence Stamp will appear posthumously in ‘Priscilla 2’
There is, indeed, a sequel in the works for the queer 1994 hit “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” arriving soon, though 30-plus years later. Stephan Elliott (“Swinging Safari”) is back in the director’s chair, and the leads have also returned with stars Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and, in a development that’s equal parts happy, sad and surprising, Terence Stamp back in place. The legendary actor died earlier this year at age 87, but not before he spent his final months reprising his role as transgender entertainer Bernadette. No word yet on when the finished film will hit theaters, or even what the exact title will be — it’s working name is “Priscila Queen of the Desert 2” — but it’s going to be the perfect opportunity for audience participation, costume opportunities and paying final respects to a true lion of cinema.
Rami Malek goes gay again in ‘The Man I Love’
“Keep The Lights On,” “Love Is Strange” and “Passages” are just three of filmmaker Ira Sachs’ contributions to queer indie cinema of the past few decades. His latest, “Peter Hujar’s Day,” about the legendary gay photographer, opens in theaters this fall. And he has yet another one in the works; it’s called “The Man I Love” and it stars “Bohemian Rhapsody” Academy Award winner Rami Malek as a gay New Yorker living with AIDS in the 1980s. With a script co-written by Sachs with longtime collaborator Mauricio Zacharias, it will co-star Tom Sturridge (“The Sandman”), Rebecca Hall (“The Prestige”), Luther Ford (“The Crown”) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”). We hear that the period film — part of a small-scale trend of queer filmmakers looking back to the decade that devastated and galvanized the community — is also a musical (music from whom is currently not known) and that just intrigues us all the more. We’ll be keeping track of this one.
Kenan Thompson is giving ‘Sleepaway Camp’ another stab
What do queer people think of the 1983’s slasher cult film “Sleepaway Camp”? Well, that’s a tough one. Is the story of a bullied teen girl named Angela and the time she spends murdering people at her summer camp a piece of anti-trans exploitation? Or is it powered by queer revenge? Is it something we want to claim or reject? The perspectives are as plentiful as there are people who’ve seen it, the fans and non-fans equally vocal. (There’s even a book on the subject from queer critics BJ and Harmony Colangelo) And if someone remade it, say someone like “Saturday Night Live” veteran Kenan Thompson, how would that go? We’ll find out soon enough, as Thompson’s production company is behind a remake, one that will allow original writer-director Robert Hiltzik the chance for a reimagined do-over. All details are being kept under wraps for now — no timeline, no cast, no plot — so there’s time to go catch up on the notorious original if you’ve never seen it. Invite some friends over. Be ready to argue over the closing credits.
