John Cusack Is Ex-Gay
Forget what you’ve heard about gay characters in films being no big deal in Hollywood anymore. Apparently, sometimes they’re still a very big deal. It’s bad enough that Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain might have its gay romance neutered, but now director Nick Cassavetes and actor John Cusack are part of Hollywood’s de-gaying process, too. Cassavetes will direct and Cusack will star in the film adaptation—penned by gay screenwriter Jonathan Tolins (Twilight of the Golds)and Seth Bass—of gay author David Gerrold’s book The Martian Child.
When Romeo first reported on this story, it looked like the plot would follow that of the original book, in which a gay man adopts a 6-year-old boy, only to discover that the child believes himself to be from Mars. In the film, however, Cusack’s character will be straight. So far, no one is saying why the gay character was declared an unfit parent and why that change was so vital.
Brendan Fraser’s Queer Secret
Will he look as good in a James Bond-style tuxedo as he did in his George of the Jungle loincloth? That’s the real question to be answered when Brendan Fraser steps into the role of Gay Secret Agent. Currently in negotiations to star, Fraser may well be the next Austin Powers, one with a distinct twist in the ‘shagging’ department. And speaking of Powers, that franchise’s producers, Suzanne and Jennifer Todd, are also the ones behind this espionage spoof written by Saturday Night Live alum Brad Hall and Andrew Gottlieb. Translation: Expect lots of broad, silly riffing on gay stereotypes.
Meanwhile, Romeo wants to know how much male eye-candy of the Bond Girl variety will make it to the final cut.
Jamie Babbitt Connects to Dot
Lesbian filmmaker Jamie Babbitt (But I’m A Cheerleader)is about to take a break from her busy career directing episodes of shows like Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show, Nip/Tuck, and Gilmore Girls to return to the world of feature films. Babbitt will direct the thriller Dot, from writers Micah Schraft and Abdi Nazemian (ABC Family’s Beautiful Girl). Dot concerns a deaf teenage orphan and the dark goings-on that arise when she moves in with a ‘typical’ family—one that turns out to be anything but. Unique to this project is the support of the University of Texas in Austin, whose film school sponsors a program that gives its students hands-on experience making low-budget movies. In other words, they’re donating a lot of free labor.