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.) Heightened Scrutiny, a new documentary following the first transgender person person to argue before the Supreme Court, is in theaters now! Chase Strangio, an ACLU attorney fighting to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth in United States vs. Skrmetti. The film also features insights from trans journalist Gina Chua and trans activists like Laverne Cox. Don’t miss Heightened Scrutiny, in theaters now!
2.) The new documentary Love and Rage: Munroe Bergdorf is available to rent on streaming this week! The film follows trans activist and supermodel Munroe Bergdorf, who made history when she became the first out trans woman to appear on a L’Oreal campaign in the United Kingdom. As she writes her life story and must reflect on her past while doing so, her past trauma influences her current life as she aims to be a voice for the community amid growing hostility.
3.) A trailer for After the Hunt, out director Luca Guadagnino’s latest project, debuted this week. The film follows a college professor, played by Julia Roberts, who finds herself stuck between a student and a colleague as the student accuses the colleague of assaulting her. The student is played by out actress Ayo Edebiri, and at one point in the trailer, Roberts’ character claims that Edebiri’s character has a crush on her. Stay tuned for more on After the Hunt, set to arrive in theaters on October 10.
4.) The trailer for the upcoming southern family drama A Little Prayer dropped this week! The film follows Bill as his daughter Patti returns home as her marriage fails and as he brings his son David into the family business. The film co-stars out actress Anna Camp as Patti, and is set for a limited release on August 29! Stay tuned for more on A Little Prayer and Anna Camp!
5.) Out actress Lily-Rose Depp was added to the cast of upcoming extraterrestrial comedy Alpha Gang. The film follows a group of aliens sent to conquer Earth disguised as a biker gang, whose mission goes awry. In other casting news, gay actor Cooper Koch was added to the cast of Artificial, an upcoming project from out director Luca Guadaginino. Details about the film are being kept under wraps, but it will focus on the topic of artificial intelligence.
View this post on Instagram
6.) The first trailer for the long-anticipated fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Netflix’s smash hit supernatural drama, dropped this week! The trailer gave us a look at Hawkins, which has transformed into a hellish landscape, and our crew of heroes looking to save the town and the world. This includes queer character Robin and her love interest Vickie, as well as gay character Will, one of the central characters since the first season of the show. Stay tuned for more on Stranger Things, and don’t miss the first half of season one, which drops on November 26!
7.) Out TV mogul Ryan Murphy’s new show The Shards was greenlit at FX this week! The show, based on the book of the same name by out author Bret Easton-Ellis with semi-autobiographical elements, is a dark coming-of-age story about a teen at an elite boarding school in 1981 Los Angeles. The main character, also named Bret, is closeted in the book. Stay tuned for more news about The Shards!
View this post on Instagram
8.) The cast for season one of Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale was announced this week, and sees Asian drag queens from global Drag Race franchises compete against fan favorites from Drag Race Phillipines. The queens from Drag Race Phillipines competing are Arizona Brandy (Season 2), Bernie (Season 2), Brigiding (Season 1), Khianna (Season 3), and Viñas Deluxe (Season 1). Global Drag Race queens include Ivory Glaze (Drag Race Down Under), Kitty Space (Drag Race France), Madame Yoko (Drag Race Belgique), Siam Phusri (Drag Race Thailand), Suki Doll (Canada’s Drag Race), Sum Ting Wong (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), and Yuhua Hamasaki (RuPaul’s Drag Race). Don’t miss Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale, premiering August 13 on WOW Presents Plus!
View this post on Instagram
9.) Netflix’s Geek Girl added out actor Layton Williams to the cast of the upcoming second season! Williams will play Onassis in the season, and joins out actors Emmanuel Imani and Em Carey in the show. The show follows Harriett, an awkward teen who just wants to fit in, when she is scouted by a modeling agency and her whole life changes. In other casting news, queer Hacks breakout Robby Hoffman was added to the cast of Steve Carrell’s upcoming untitled HBO comedy. Queer The Traitors breakout star and former Bachelorette Gabby Windey is set to host the new reality dating show for Hulu titled Love Overboard! The show will follow a group of sexy singles as they set sail on a luxury yacht looking for love. Only one couple can win in the end, however, and romance will blossom and hearts will shatter aboard the ship. Stay tuned for more news on Love Overboard.
View this post on Instagram
10.) Wet Leg, the band fronted by queer musician Rhian Teasdale, released their second album moisturizer last week! In other music news, queer musician Andrew Mitch released his new EP the remimagined sessions last week, and queer artist Joey Miceli released the second single off his upcoming album Pretenders this week, titled “Heavy Hand.”
11.) The professional recording of Merrily We Roll Along, the four-time Tony Award-winning musical, will arrive in theaters on December 5! The show, which starred out actor Jonathan Groff in a role he won a Tony for, encompasses three decades and tracks the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and longtime friends Mary and Charley. Don’t miss Merrily We Roll Along in theaters December 5!
View this post on Instagram
12.) Oh, Mary, the hit Broadway comedy following a miserable Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, announced new cast members this week! Out actor Michael Urie will take on the role of Mary’s Teacher in the production. Get your tickets to see the new cast of Oh, Mary!
View this post on Instagram
13.) A one-night-only benefit production of The Drowsy Chaperone featuring an entirely transgender and nonbinary cast will premiere at Carnegie Hall on October 20! The cast includes Laverne Cox, Peppermint, Jonathan Van Ness, Alex Newell, Betty Who, and Joslyn Defreece! Don’t miss your chance to see this production, which will kick off the fourth annual Breaking the Binary theater festival, which aims to employ and amplify the work of trans, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit+ artists. All net profits from the concert will benefit Breaking the Binary Theatre, Trans Lifeline and Black Trans Liberation.
View this post on Instagram
14.) Emmy nominations were announced this week, and LGBTQ actors and projects received a number of looks from Television Academy voters. Inclusive shows nominated include RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Traitors, The Amazing Race, Andor, The Last of Us, The Pitt, Abbott Elementary, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, What We Do in the Shadows, and many more. For LGBTQ performers, out actor Ayo Edebiri was nominated for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series” for The Bear, and out actor Hannah Einbinder received an “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” for Hacks. More than half the nominees in the “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy” nominees are queer men, including Colman Domingo for The Four Seasons, Jeff Hiller for Somebody Somewhere, Michael Urie for Shrinking, and Bowen Yang for Saturday Night Live. Nonbinary actor Bella Ramsey was nominated for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” for The Last of Us, and Tramell Tillman was nominated for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for Severance. Out actor Erin Doherty was nominated for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie” for Adolescence, and gay actor Cooper Koch was nominated for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie” for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. View the full list of nominees here.
View this post on Instagram
See more articles from The GLAAD Wrap here.
