Tessa Thompson’s acting roles have turned her into a respected presence on screen, and her work behind the scenes as a producer means the serious projects she wants to make happen get to happen. She produced or executive produced the acclaimed indie films “Sylvie’s Love,” “Little Woods” and “The Listener.” Her latest project is “Hedda,” written and directed by “Little Woods” and “Candyman” filmmaker Nia DaCosta, and based on the Henrik Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler.” The reimagining of the classic story of a woman trapped in a marriage she doesn’t want stars Thompson in the title role alongside German actress Nina Hoss and British cast members Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman and Nicholas Pinnock, and it takes its bow soon at the Toronto International Film Festival. After the festival, look for this one to hit theaters and streaming in October.
Jussie Smollett and the ‘Truth’
Did you lose track of the legal weirdness surrounding the case of gay former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett? Was there an attack on him or not? A hate crime committed or not? Various people lying or not? It happened in 2019 but a lot has happened since then and you’ll be forgiven for letting it wrap itself up without you. But now Netflix has ordered “The Truth about Jussie Smollett?,” a 90-minute documentary diving into the murky details, public opinion firestorm and seemingly endless legal wrangling that was finally legally put to bed this year. It will feature interviews with lawyers, journalists, police and investigators still digging up new evidence about what happened that night. Most importantly, Smollett will speak for himself on camera, as he moves forward with his life. For all queer true (and/or untrue) crime fans, it drops Aug. 22.
Queer TIFF premieres for Van Sant and Guadagnino
Legendary gay director Gus Van Sant has a new one at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, as does the prolific Luca Guadagnino (who already gave us two films last year). Reported on here during their respective productions, Van Sant’s feature is “Dead Man’s Wire,” is a true crime tale of a 1970s hostage standoff that stars Colman Domingo, Bill Skarsgard and Al Pacino (to give it that “Dog Day Afternoon” vibe). Meanwhile, Guadagnino’s latest, “After The Hunt,” about sex scandals in academia, stars Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Chloe Sevigny, and queer up-and-comers Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) and Lío Mehiel (“Mutt”). The festival takes place in early September, meaning both films are likely to be positioned for end-of-the-year awards consideration. We’re just happy we have at least two good gay reasons to go to a multiplex this fall.
Chris Colfer’s ‘The Land of Stories’ gets the film treatment
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the rights to former “Glee” star Chris Colfer’s bestselling book series “The Land of Stories” for film, with Academy Award nominee Phil Johnston (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”) attached to write. It’ll be a live-action adaptation of the series of books centered on sibling characters Alex and Conner Bailey, twins who find themselves transported into a shared universe of classic fairy tales where all the things they thought they knew from reading the stories turn out to be not quite right. The books been very successful, selling in the millions — one reason you’ve not seen the now 35-year-old Colfer on screens lately, he’s been busy — and the deal has the potential to generate an ongoing fandom through multiple films. This is brand new so no details are set yet, but we like good post-“Glee” cast news anywhere we find it.
Romeo San Vicente is a one-man fairy tale.
