Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1) The Weinstein Company has acquired the distribution rights to the Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon-starring film Three Generations. Fanning plays Ray, a teen at the beginning of his transition, with Watts as his mother, Maggie, who is struggling with her own feelings about it. Sarandon plays Ray's grandmother Dolly, a music manager who shares a brownstone with her partner Frances, and who has her own strong opinions about her family. Weinstein's deal includes a 500-minimum screen commitment for the release of Three Generations.
2) Wolfe Video, one of the oldest distributors in North America that solely focuses on LGBT-inclusive cinema, has picked up U.S. distribution rights to biopic The Girl King. The film follows the life of Queen Christina of Sweden who was crowned in 1633 when she was only six-years-old after the death of her father. Christina caused a scandal when she refused to marry and then abdicated the throne in 1654, and she was known for her gender nonconforming dress and relationship with noblewoman Ebba Sparre. Wolfe plans a theatrical release of The Girl King this fall with DVD and VOD publishing to follow.
3) Simon Cowell will be producing a new biopic, The Fifth Beatle, about The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. The film is adapted from the Vivek Tiwary graphic novel The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story which follows Epstein through discovering The Beatles to his death at 32 from an accidental overdose. Tiwary also wrote the script for this adaptation, a director is expected to be attached "shortly."
4) In casting news, Glee's Harry Shum Jr. has joined ABC Family's The Mortal Instruments adaptation Shadowhunters as bisexual warlock Magnus Bane. Magnus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, eventually begins a relationship with demon hunter Alec (Matthew Daddario). Out actress Portia de Rossi has been upped to a series regular for the upcoming fifth season of ABC's Scandal as the new Chief of Staff, a position formerly filled by out character Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry). Out actor T.R. Knight has joined the Hulu event series 11/22/63 which is based on a Stephen King novel. Knight will play a salesman whose estranged wife falls in love with English teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) who traveled back in time and is working to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. Out actress Cherry Jones is also a member of the 11/22/63 supporting cast.
5) Frankie Grande, out Broadway star, former Big Brother favorite, and brother of pop star Ariana Grande, has landed his own special series on Oxygen. Worst. Post. Ever: with Frankie Grande premieres August 18 and will explore the good, bad, ugly, and most outrageous moments on social media. During the show, Grande will also be executing his own social media experiments and involving viewers in sketches.
6) Out singer-songwriter Alyssa Robbins has released a new video for the track "Chasing Summer" off her album Our Time Was Here We Just Forgot To Be. Our Time Was Here We Just Forgot To Be is available now, check Alyssa's website to find a show near you.
7) The new film Water is looking for funding help to complete shooting and post-production. Water is adapted from the novel Water in a Broken Glass by Odessa Rose which follows Washington, D.C. multimedia designer Tonya as she explores her identity after finding herself in a love-triangle. Find out more at Water's indiegogo page, Water in a Broken Glass is available now.