Remember the ’90s movie “Street Fighter” with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue? Well, they’re remaking it, which is messing with perfection, obviously, but we’ll allow it because of these co-stars: alt-country masked man Orville Peck, Jason Momoa and Noah Centineo. Billy Porter, meanwhile, has joined the cast of the upcoming “Hunger Games: Sunrise on The Reaping” (whatever that means) as villain Glenn Close’s estranged husband. That pairing alone will get us into a theater seat. And as we get closer to “Scream 7,” we’ve learned that the cast list includes recently-out Anna Camp (“True Blood”) and “Yellowjackets” star Jasmin Savoy Brown. We’re hoping they both live through it, but that’s never a given with Mr. Ghostface. And finally, queer character actor Cory Michael Smith (“Mountainhead,” “Saturday Night”) has been turning in amazing supporting performances for years now (he’s a Todd Haynes regular) and will now take on his first leading role in the upcoming Halloween-based A24 thriller “October,” a film with a plot fully under wraps. Consider it a mysterious autumnal gift of horror.
James Dean and the closeted boyfriend
Any bit of personal information about James Dean is instantly fascinating to his fans even 70 years after his death. Enter “Willie and Jimmy Dean,” starring Brandon Flynn, queer cast member of the series “13 Reasons Why.” It’s a mini-biopic of sorts, about a little-known relationship in the short life of the actor, and it’s based on the late William Bast’s 2006 memoir, “Surviving James Dean.” The two men were roommates at UCLA and in time became lovers, but as Dean’s film career took off their relationship was forced to remain secret out of 1950s necessity. (Dean died in an auto accident, age 24, in 1955). Guy Guido, director of the documentary, “Madonna and The Breakfast Club,” will co-write and direct the project, of which we know little else, including further casting information. Stay tuned.
Edmund White’s ‘Own Story’
Gay literary legend Edmund White died recently at age 85, and he spent a lifetime writing books that chronicled queer experience during eras that were distinctly unfriendly to that kind of work. His 1982 novel, “A Boy’s Own Story,” is a classic of gay lit — the first in a trilogy of books — and in 2023 it was transformed into a graphic novel by Brian Alessandro and Michael Carroll (White’s widower). Now it’s coming to TV as a limited series from director John Krokidas (“Kill Your Darlings”) and it’s likely that if it’s well-received, more may follow. The project is in the early stages — no cast, no word on plot, no production timeline — so as news drifts in we’ll report back. The best news is that it’s happening, a wonderful development in building the larger cultural legacy of White’s work.
‘Sense and Sensibility’ through a queer lens
British filmmaker Georgia Oakley made her acclaimed indie feature debut a few years ago with “Blue Jean,” about a closeted lesbian living in Thatcher’s conservative UK during the oppressive 1980s. Now the lesbian director is taking on the world of Jane Austen in a fresh remake of “Sense and Sensibility.” With a script by Diana Reid and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Twisters,” “Normal People”), the story is familiar to Austenphiles: impoverished sisters and their widowed mother navigate romance and economic stress among the 18th-century upper classes. Nothing more is known at the moment, as it’s just been announced, and it’s unlikely that there’ll be drastic changes made to the beloved story (Jane Austen devotees can be as hilariously unyielding as any Batman fanboy), and, let’s be real, no one needs a new adaptation of anything Austen. But we want it, we always want it, and we want queer filmmakers along for the ride, so we’ll be happily buying tickets.
Romeo San Vicente is ready for the grand ball at the estate.
