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) Opening in New York City and Los Angeles today is Nasty Baby, the story of a gay couple (Sebastián Silva, Tunde Adebimpe) in Brooklyn unsuccessfully trying to have a baby with their friend Polly (Kristen Wiig). The film is also available on demand on October 30. Check out the trailer below.
2) Alex Lawther is set to play the lead role of Billy in the film adaption of James St. James's Freak Show. The film, which is expected to start production this month, already has Bette Midler, Lorraine Toussaint, and AnnaSophia Robb attached. The book is about Billy Bloom, a cross-dressing teen, who refuses to change when he transfers to an ultra-conservative high school – instead he runs for Homecoming Queen.
3) Out Hollywood power players Megan Ellison, Rob Marshall, and Lee Daniels will be honored with the Screen Actor Guild Foundation's Patron of the Artists Awards on November 5. This is the award's first year and is meant to recognize industry figures who have had a positive impact on acting. Daniels, who co-created FOX's Empire, is launching a new musical drama on FOX about four girls trying to make it in the music business. Casting is now open for one of the leads, Cotton, who is described as a half-black, half-spanish transgender woman.
4) In television casting news, out actor Sandi Toksvig is set to replace Stephen Fry as the host of the BBC panel quiz show QI. Parks and Recreation vet Nick Offerman will guest-star on Brooklyn Nine-Nine as the ex-boyfriend of Captain Holt (Andre Braugher). Laverne Cox has been cast to star in a reboot of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The film will debut on FOX next fall.
5) Caitlyn Jenner's I Am Cait has been renewed for a second season, which is expected to premiere in 2016. Switched at Birth has also been renewed for a fifth season. Carter Covington, the out producer and showrunner of Faking It, has sold two new comedy projects to MTV. Comedian couple Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher will launch their series Take My Wife (working title) on NBC's new streaming subscription service SeeSo. Esposito will also do an hour long stand up special to be featured on the service.
6) David Lagercrantz has announced he is planning two more "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books. He said part five in the series will come out in 2017 with part six most likely being released in 2019. The series focuses on bisexual investigator Lisbeth Salander.
7) Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel was released on Tuesday. The book is based on the popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast, done in the style of community announcements about the mysterious and supernatural town of Night Vale hosted by radio DJ Cecil with frequent appearances by his scientist boyfriend Carlos, it is written by the podcast creators, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
8) The web series Scissr has launched an Indiegogo campaign to cover production and post-production costs. The first episode was released last year and the campaign aims to fund six more episodes. The series follows three gay girls in their twenties in Brooklyn who connect through an iPhone app and is described as a cross between Girls and The L Word. You can find out more at Scissr's Indiegogo page.
