Billy Eichner's LGBTQ+ Rom-Com Bros Adds Two Huge Names To The Cast
Universal has greenlit a groundbreaking rom-com. Written by "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" director Nicholas Stoller and "American Horror Story" stalwart and "Difficult People" co-creator Billy Eichner, "Bros" is slated for an August 2022 release. On Instagram, Eichner shared that "Bros" was finally shooting, writing, "Well, after many years of writing, a year and a half long pandemic pause which shut us down and, oh you know, 100 years of major studios refusing to make movies like this one, the BROS adventure has begun! WISH ME LUCK!"
"Bros" stars Eichner and Luke Macfarlane as two gay men who are "maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling toward love. Maybe. They're both very busy" (via The Hollywood Reporter). The film features an all-LGBTQIA+ cast for both queer and hetero parts that includes Jim Rash ("Community"), D'Lo Srijaerajah ("Sense8"), Peter Kim ("Fairfax"), and Amanda Bearse ("Married with Children"). And comedy fans rejoice: two legends have just come aboard.
Bowen Yang and Harvey Fierstein have joined the cast of Bros
Variety broke the news that "Saturday Night Live" star Bowen Yang and "Torch Song Trilogy" auteur Harvey Fierstein have joined the cast of "Bros." No information was given on what parts they'd be playing, but the two actors are a perfect fit for the project. The all-LGBTQIA+ casting mandate is groundbreaking, and both Yang and Fierstein are groundbreakers themselves.
Fierstein first came to national attention by writing and starring in his "Torch Song Trilogy," one of the first Broadway shows to truly explore a gay man's experience. He transitioned into film and TV with parts in "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Cheers," and "The Simpsons." His "Simpsons" character, Karl, was important because he was the show's first attempt at a gay character. (Smithers had already been created but not written as queer until later seasons.)
Bowen Yang was the first Chinese American cast member on "SNL" and one of the first out gay men on the show. Yang spent the summer filming "Fire Island," another queer rom-com in which he stars opposite Joel Kim Booster, who also wrote the script. It is a gay man's take on "Pride & Prejudice," with friends summering in the enclave of Fire Island. "Fire Island" will probably come out after "Bros."