Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1.) Supernatural comedy horror Renfield hits theaters today! In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, the titular Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. After centuries of servitude, Renfield finds a new lease on life in New Orleans when he falls in love and finally stands up to his narcissistic creator. Queer and gender non-conforming actor Jenna Kanell plays Carol, a support group member. Watch the trailer below and catch Renfield in a theater near you!
2.) Gay trailblazer Billy Porter has been tapped to script and star in an untitled James Baldwin biopic. Based on the 1994 book James Baldwin: A Biography, the film creates an intimate portrait of Baldwin’s life as a gay, Black writer and civil rights activist who wrote critically acclaimed and influential essays, novels, plays and poems in his quest for happiness and racial justice. Porter, who has long dreamed of portraying the cultural icon, proclaimed “I am because James was… I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.”
3.) Out actress Kristen Stewart has been added to the cast of road-trip comedy Sacramento. On an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento, long-time friends Rickey (Michael Angarano) and Glenn (Michael Cera) question their future as their past comes into focus. Stewart plays Glenn’s wife, Rosie. Additionally, a first-look image of Stewart and Steven Yeun in the upcoming romantic sci-fi drama Love Me has been released– check it out below!
First look at Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun in sci-fi romance ‘LOVE ME.’ pic.twitter.com/syJoRzWiHy
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 12, 2023
4.) HBO has debuted a teaser trailer for True Detective: Night Country, starring queer Oscar winner Jodie Foster alongside boxer-actress Kali Reis. The acclaimed crime anthology’s long-awaited fourth iteration is set in Ennis, Alaska, where the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station have vanished without a trace. Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) must confront the darkness they carry in themselves to dig into the haunted truths that lie buried beneath the eternal ice. Watch the teaser below!
5.) Netflix has dropped a date announcement teaser for the fourth and final season of Never Have I Ever, streaming June 8! Modern-day first-generation Indian American teenager Devi and her friends— including lesbian character Fabiola, played by out actress Lee Rodriguez— are back at Sherman Oaks for their senior year of high school. In this season of the coming-of-age comedy, Devi has a new distraction by the name of Ethan (Michael Cimino), who arrives on the heels of Paxton’s departure to college, and a mystery couple ties the knot. Be sure to check out these newly released images and watch the teaser below!
6.) In more Netflix news, the streamer has set a May 9 premiere date for out Emmy Award-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby’s third comedy special Something Special. Filmed at the Sydney Opera House as part of Gadsby’s most recent Body of Work world tour, the “feel good set” discusses their 2021 wedding to their producer Jenney Shamash, traumatic encounters with a bunny, and much more! Be sure to check out Gadsby’s first two Netflix specials, Nanette and Douglas, available on the streamer today! Additionally, the critically acclaimed Netflix series Queer Eye has been set to return on May 12. In the seventh season, the Fab Five bring sparkle and sass to New Orleans, transforming the lives of residents who are in need of a fresh start!
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! Queer Eye returns May 12! pic.twitter.com/5zqENkSnM6
— Queer Eye (@QueerEye) April 12, 2023
7.) Warner Bros. Discovery’s newly rebranded streaming service Max has unveiled a teaser trailer for Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, streaming May 23. The animated series adaptation is set in 1920s Shanghai, where 10-year-old Sam Wing and a young Mogwai called Gizmo embark on a dangerous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering colorful monsters, spirits, and a power-hungry industrialist alongside his growing army of evil Gremlins. Gay actor BD Wong voices Sam’s father, Hon Wing, who never believed his father-in-law’s tales of magic and adventure. Additional guest voices include gay actors George Takei and Bowen Yang. Find the teaser below!
8.) MGM+ has ordered Hollywood Black, a four-part documentary series from gay director Justin Simien that examines the evolution of Black cinema and the talented artists who built it. Based on the work of scholar Donald Bogle, the series highlights a vital part of American culture, providing a relevant and timely look at present-day controversies through the lens of Black individuals throughout Hollywood history. Keep your eyes peeled for release date information!
9.) Non-binary The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has been cast in the second season of BBC’s prison drama Time. Set in a women’s prison, Ramsey will play Kelsey, who discovers an unexpected sense of community in an unfamiliar world with Orla (Jodie Whittaker) and Abi (Tamara Lawrance). Filming will begin in Liverpool shortly; stay tuned for more updates!
Bella Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance & Siobhan Finneran star in the second series of Jimmy McGovern’s BBC drama Time
Co-written by Jimmy McGovern & Helen Black, it’s a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison
More https://t.co/lEnbXdnEn5 pic.twitter.com/OiM3pPAxti
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) April 11, 2023
10.) Gay singer-songwriter Vincint has released the music video for his dance-ready banger “Romance” with Rolling Stone. Filled with unapologetic queer joy (and lust), the video features a plethora of queer celebrities, including Gus Kenworthy, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Johnny Silbilly, Kerri Colby, Griffin Matthews, and more! Check out the “Romance” video below. Out artist Shygirl has released the deluxe edition of her praised debut album Nymph, titled Nymph_o and queer singer Mathew V has made his vocal jazz debut with a new album Anything Goes! In more music news, queeer non-binary performer Janelle Monae has dropped the highly-anticipated single “Float” with an additional remix! Finally, queer singer-songwriter Olive Klug has released the single “Casting Spells” with the annoucement of their debut album Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded, out in August, and queer alt-pop artist a kid named rufus has shared the single “the cutest girl from brewster hall” with the announcement of their debut LP whatever works, out July 14; check out the “the cute girl from brewster hall” music video!
11.) Hayley Kiyoko, dubbed Lesbian Jesus, has enlisted an all-queer cast for her “Girls Like Girls” audiobook! Based on Kiyoko’s billboard-charting smash hit song and viral video, her debut novel is a coming-of-age romance about embracing your truth. Out stars Katie Gavin, Malia Pyles, Natalie Naudus, and Brandon Flynn voice the characters alongside Kiyoko– pre-order the audiobook version of “Girls Like Girls” today! In other literature news, Alfred A. Knopf has set lesbian Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner’s untitled memoir for release next spring. For the first time, Griner shares her raw, emotional journey from Olympic champion to hostage for her life, creating an intimate picture of her wrongful detainment in Russia. The memoir also explores the #WeAreBG movement and the issue of pay equity for women athletes in the United States.
12.) Season four of Overwatch 2 dropped this week with new cosmetics, the promise of new events, and a whole new character for players to unlock! The newest support Lifeweaver has a plethora of healing abilities while also sporting new mobility mechanics to keep himself and his teammates out of danger. Lifeweaver is the first pansexual character on Overwatch 2’s roster and is voiced by rising star Phuwin Tangsakyuen, an actor best known for his work on Thai boy’s love comedy series, Fish Upon the Sky. Overwatch 2’s latest season is free to download on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Battle.net!