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.) The odds are in Euphoria star Hunter Schafer’s favor in the first official trailer for the highly-anticipated prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Songbirds & Snakes. Sixty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, the film follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) as the mentor of Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. Schafer portrays Tigris, Coriolanus’s cousin and confidante who advises him in everything— from his role as a mentor to the core of his moral compass. Watch the trailer below and catch The Hunger Games prequel in theaters November 17!
2.) The official trailer for Tribeca-bound documentary Chasing Chasing Amy has been released this week! Produced by GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Representation Alex Schmider, the film follows young queer filmmaker Sav Rodgers’ quest to understand how Kevin Smith’s controversial ’90s LGBTQ rom-com saved his life. Through conversations with its filmmakers and critics, Sav confronts truths that will forever change his relationship with the movie, and ultimately, with himself. Watch the trailer below!
3.) A24 has revealed a first look at its upcoming slasher threequel MaXXXine, featuring bisexual singer-songwriter and actress Halsey in ‘80’s-Era Hollywood glam. In the third and final installment of the X trilogy, following X and Pearl, the titular Maxine is the sole survivor of a massacre and moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of becoming a famous actress. Check out the image below!
The life she deserves #MaXXXine pic.twitter.com/8u5uH58PVx
— A24 (@A24) May 1, 2023
4.) Hulu Originals has acquired We Live Here: The Midwest, a documentary that explores personal stories of LGBTQ families who hope to stay in a part of the country they love, despite biased legislation and escalating prejudice. The doc features a trans/queer family with five children in Iowa who must find a new community after being expelled from their church; a gay Black couple with a young daughter who tests the line of acceptance in Nebraska; a lesbian couple who is homeschooling their bullied son on a farm in Kansas; a gay teacher in Ohio who is creating a safe space for LGBTQ students; a couple in Minnesota that is struggling to rebuild their family; and Minnesota Representative and queer mother Heather Keeler, who brings LGBTQ rights to the political forefront regardless of ongoing death threats. Hang tight for release date information!
Hulu Originals Acquires ‘We Live Here: The Midwest’; Documentary Shares Stories of LGBTQI+ Families https://t.co/bz3V5abOhC pic.twitter.com/iOOScLuYue
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 3, 2023
5.) Park Avenue, an upcoming indie drama featuring lesbian actress Fiona Shaw, has entered production in New York City. From a script written by out playwright and author Tina Alexis Allen and Sundance alum Gaby Dellal, Park Avenue follows a mother and daughter who, over a fraught six weeks, reveal life-changing secrets. After fleeing her overcontrolling husband and her life wrangling cattle in Canada, Charlotte (Katherine Waterson) takes refuge with her mother Kit (Shaw). As Charlotte rediscovers the boy she once loved (Chaske Spencer) and the life she left at 18, the duo explores a shared history, unshared truths, love, and loss. In more indie film news, non-binary actor Theo Germaine has been set to star alongside Mary Beth Barone in the erotic thriller Good Girl. The dark comedy centers on sex work through a feminist and queer lens, watching as an enterprising Sugar Baby moves in with her Sugar Daddy who has dark secrets trapped within his home. Stay tuned for details on Germaine’s role!
6.) Hulu’s deliciously addictive upcoming series Drag Me To Dinner has set a May 31 release date, alongside first-look images. Hosted by trans comedian and drag king Murray Hill, Drag Me To Dinner is a riotous, format-busting, fourth-wall-breaking, unapologetic sendup of traditional reality competition shows. The series features 40 drag performers from all sectors of the industry, including fan favorites from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, and more. In each episode, two teams of successful drag queens go head-to-head to throw the most drag-tastical dinner party of all time, and be crowned champion by an all-star trio of judges: the multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris, drag superstar Bianca Del Rio, and the funny and fabulous Haneefah Wood. In more competition series news, Fox has set the 12 fearless celebrities who are packing their bags and preparing to launch to the red planet (sort of) on Stars to Mars, including gay figure skater and Dancing with the Stars winner Adam Rippon. The show watches celebrities colonize, compete and conquer “Mars” until there is one victorious space invader to claim the title of “the brightest star in the galaxy.” Additionally, Freevee has announced a new competition series entitled The GOAT, which searches for the greatest reality contestant of all time! Former contestants from The Bachelor franchise, Vanderpump Rules, Love Is Blind, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of New York City, Survivor, FBoy Island, Dancing With the Stars, The Real World, 90 Day Fiancé, The Challenge and more— including out contestants Reza Farahan and Justin Johnson/Alyssa Edwards— face mental, physical and social challenges for a cash prize and America’s respect as the GOAT of reality TV.
You’re invited to dinner! Two teams of drag queens will go head-to-head and serve up the most snatched dinner parties of all time, you don’t want to miss Drag Me To Dinner on May 31. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/2Gxhpf3WFr
— Hulu (@hulu) May 1, 2023
7.) Apple TV+’s The Morning Show has been renewed for a fourth season ahead of its season three premiere this fall! The drama series shows an inside look at the modern workplace through the lens of people who help America wake up, pulling back the curtain on early morning television. In the series, Laura Peterson (Julianna Margulies) portrays an out anchor at the morning show’s fictional network who was previously fired for being a lesbian and develops a romantic relationship with Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon). The upcoming season features out stars Tig Notaro as Amanda Robinson, the chief of staff to corporate titan Paul Marks; Natalie Morales as Kate Danton, Stella’s best friend from college; and Stephen Fry as Leonard Cromwell, a ruthless UBA board member who is working to steer the company through troubled financial times. Additionally, Netflix has set June 9 for the second and final season premiere of Human Resources. The Big Mouth spinoff pulls back the curtain on the daily lives of the creatures that help humans journey through every aspect of life from puberty to parenthood to the twilight years. Human Resources features numerous LGBTQ characters and an impressive list of queer voice talent, including Miley Cyrus, Niecy Nash-Betts, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Cole Escola, and more!
Apple renews ‘The Morning Show’ for season four ahead of third season premiere https://t.co/npFnhxIgek #Apple
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) May 2, 2023
8.) Emmy-nominated actress, singer, and activist Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is re-teaming with Pose co-creator Ryan Murphy on the 12th season of FX’s American Horror Story, joining previously announced out castmate Cara Delevingne. Based on the Danielle Valentine thriller novel “Delicate Condition,” the season follows a woman who becomes convinced that a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happened. Keep your eyes peeled for Rodriguez’s character details!
9.) Gay actor Joel Grey has been set to receive the 2023 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, alongside composer John Kander! Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, comments “As a legendary actor and director, Joel Grey has made an everlasting impact, from Cabaret to Goodtime Charley, The Normal Heart and his acclaimed Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof.” The 76th Annual Tony Awards air live on Sunday, June 11, from the United Palace in Washington Heights, New York City from 8-11 PM ET/5-8 PM PT on CBS, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.
Two giants of the theatre, @joelgrey and John Kander, are set to receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at this year’s #TonyAwards.
Watch the 76th Annual Tony Awards Sunday, June 11th at 6:30PM ET on @plutotv & 8PM ET on @CBS & @paramountplus. pic.twitter.com/U8UZIAZiK8
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) May 3, 2023
10.) Trans icon Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj have dropped an eclectic music video for the single “Alone!” Gay pop and R&B artist Rayvon Owen has released his new single “What Hurts More Than Loving”; watch the visualizer and catch Rayvon on the main stage at Outloud Pride Festival June 2. In more music news, queer and non-binary singer-songwriter Ezra Williams has shared their sun-woozy single “Until I’m Home,” off their forthcoming debut album Supernumeraries; watch the official video and pre-save the album, due June 16. Out rapper and performer Big Freedia has also unleashed a fiery new single “$100 Bill” featuring Ciara. Finally, queer synth meets electro-pop artist and two-time Emmy nominee John Roberts has released an 80’s inspired music video for their single “Danger”; watch the music video, featuring an all-star queer cast, below!
11.) Beloved Nightsister Merrin is back in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This tragic antihero became a fan favorite after her powers and pansexuality were explored in the first game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and a follow-up book, “Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars.” She returns as a major side character in Survivor to assist Cal Kestis in his journey to defeat dark forces and restore the Jedi Order. This sequel features plenty of new NPCs and side characters as well, so keep an eye out in Rambler’s Reach, where players can encounter a grouchy queer Trodatome and his equally grouchy partner as they spend their time gossiping. Discover all the strange, amusing, and loveable characters within the worlds of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, now available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam.