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) Lesbian period drama Ammonite, from out director Francis Lee, is out today in select theaters. Starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan as a nineteenth-century couple, the film will also be released on premium VOD starting Friday, December 4. Watch the trailer below! In other film release news, YA rom-com Dating Amber is now available on digital & on-demand. Set in Ireland during the mid-90’s, the film centers on two teens who decide to stage a relationship in order to stop speculation about their sexualities. Catch the trailer here.
2) In more film release news, queer drama Monsoon, by out filmmaker Hong Khaou, is out in theaters and VOD today. The film follows an Asian gay man as he returns home to Vietnam and explores a relationship with a Black gay man. Watch the trailer for the film below, and catch GLAAD’s own Anthony Ramos’ interview with lead Henry Gollding (Crazy Rich Asians) here.body-switching horror-comedy Freaky is out in theaters today. Directed by out filmmaker Christoper Landon (Happy Death Day), the film features non-binary actor Misha Osherovich in the role of the protagonist’s best friend Josh, who is gay. Watch the trailer for the Blumhouse flick here. In other film release news, Netflix released holiday family film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey today. In the film, out entertainer Ricky Martin voices a villainous doll named Don Juan Diego; catch the trailer here.
3) The trailer for lesbian holiday rom-com Happiest Season was released this week. Watch the trailer below, and catch the film, directed by out filmmaker Clea DuVall, and starring out actors Kristen Stewart, Dan Levy, and Aubrey Plaza, on Hulu November 25. In more film preview news, a new trailer for queer wrestling documentary Out in the Ring has been released. The doc sheds light on the positive contributions of LGBTQ wrestling stars to the industry as well as the bigotry they have faced, including homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, misogyny, and racism. Watch the trailer here.
4) In casting news, Pose’s Hailie Sahar and out director Anthony Hemingway have teamed up for a biopic about Sir Lady Java, a famous Los Angeles performer and long-time LGBTQ activist. Sahar will play the lead role, while Hemingway will direct and executive produce through Anthony Hemingway Productions. Watch a teaser video for the film below. In more film casting news, Selena Gomez is set to play trailblazing gay mountaineer Silvia Vasquez-Lavado in a biopic called In the Shadow of the Mountain. Vásquez-Lavado was the first Peruvian woman to summit Mount Everest and the first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits, a challenge to climb the highest mountain on each continent.
5) YouTube Originals released the trailer for Resist, a documentary series from out activist and Black Lives Matter co-founder, Patrisse Cullors. The 12-episode series, which will premiere for free on Cullors’ YouTube channel Nov. 18, follows the grassroots work of the many multicultural and intersectional organizations fighting Los Angeles County’s $3.5 billion jail expansion plan in 2018. Watch the trailer below. In more television news, Netflix announced a new animated movie musical Arlo the Alligator Boy, followed by series I Heart Arlo, both set to premiere in 2021. The movie follows Arlo, who is half human and half alligator, as he journeys from his sheltered swamp back to his birthplace of New York City in search of his long-lost father. The voice cast for both the movie and series includes out entertainer Jonathan Van Ness, out musician Mary Lambert, and out actor Vincent Rodriguez III.
6) Cartoon Network has released the trailer for spinoff series Adventure Time: Distant Lands’ newest installment “Obsidian.” The special will feature queer couple Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, as the two go on a journey to the Glass Kingdom, where a monstrous dragon has awoken to terrorize the residents. Watch the trailer below, and catch the special on HBO Max November 19. In other HBO Max news, a trailer for reality show 12 Dates of Christmas has been released. The show brings together a group of singles, including a number of queer ones, to a fairytale castle in Austria where they will engage in holiday-themed activities while dating and trying to find love. Watch the trailer here and tune into the premiere of the first three episodes on the streamer Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, with three more to follow on Dec. 3, and the final two on Dec. 10.
Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum return to the Glass Kingdom to face their past#AdventureTime #DistantLands – #Obsidian streaming Nov. 19th only on @HBOMax! #HBOMax #Marceline #PrincessBubblegum #Glassboy #Bubbline pic.twitter.com/e8IDG9vb5g
— Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetwork) November 9, 2020
7) Out producer Ryan Murphy has released a teaser photo for Season 10 of American Horror Story. The newest season of the FX series will welcome back out actresses Sarah Paulson and Angelica Ross, and is expected to debut in 2021. In other Ryan Murphy news, the mega-producer has provided a teaser poster and more details about AHS spin-off series American Horror Stories. The FX on Hulu exclusive will consist of 16 one-hour stand-alone episodes delving into horror myths, legends and lore, with many of the episodes featuring well-known AHS stars.
8) In TV production news, Umbrella Academy has been renewed for a third season and is set to begin production in February 2021. Check out the announcement below. In more production news, pictures from the new Gossip Girl reboot have been released. Out showrunner Joshua Safran has confirmed that there are multiple queer characters in the show, along with a much more racially diverse cast than the original, including trans actress Zión Moreno. The reboot is due on HBO Max sometime in 2021.
Oh my god! We’re back! Again! It’s official. Production for S3 of The Umbrella Academy begins in February pic.twitter.com/tZxyezzCOc
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) November 10, 2020
9) Out musician Lil Nas X has released a video for his new single “Holiday.” Watch the video below, and catch the performer in a virtual concert on hit kids’ game Roblox this weekend. In more music video news, out musician Mxmtoon has joined up with Carly Rae Jepson for a video for single “OK On Your Own.” Watch the video here. Additionally, out musician Snow Tha Product released a music video for her song “No Really, I’m Good.” Catch the colorful video here!
10) Pentatonix has released their newest Christmas album titled We Need A Little Christmas today. Watch the video for single “Amazing Grace” below, and buy or stream the album wherever you get your music! Additionally, Drag Race star Katya has released her debut EP Vampire Fitness today. Listen to single “Come In Brazil” featuring Alaska Thurnderfuck here, and be sure to check out the EP wherever you buy or stream music.
11) In more music news, out performer Elton John has released an eight-disc collection of rarities, B-sides, and fan favorites called Elton: Jewel Box. Listen to unreleased song “Sing Me No Sad Songs” below, and buy the new box set here. In other music release news, out MC and rapper Cakes Da Killa’s new EP Muvaland is out today. Watch the video for single “Don Dada” here, and buy or stream the EP wherever you listen to music.
12) With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride & Prejudice, the new novel Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur is a queer rom-com about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict! Released this week, get your copy wherever books are sold!