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) Out actor and Star Trek alum George Takei will host and narrate recently announced documentary From The Bridge. The doc features out sci-fi content creators like Bryan Fuller, who spoke earlier this week to Television Critics Association (TCA). There, he confirmed that there would “absolutely” be a gay character on his new series, Star Trek: Discovery, coming this January to CBS All Access.
2) Sony Pictures Classics just acquired the rights to all of out director Pedro Almodovar’s work, thus completing their library of all his releases. Additionally, his twentieth film, Julieta, which premiered at Cannes, will be released in theaters on December 21st.
3) The film adaptation of comic series Lumberjanes now has up and coming filmmaker Emily Carmichael attached to direct. The popular comic follows the supernatural misadventures of five girls at summer camp and features several LGBTQ characters. The series received the GLAAD Media Award in Outstanding Comic Book at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. In other film news, Jennifer Lopez signed on to play bisexual Columbian drug lord Griselda Blanco in an upcoming HBO biopic. The film, which Lopez is also executive producing, will focus on Blanco's youth and rise to power.
4) Transparent’s season three trailer was released this week along with news that there will be a flashback episode this season, showing the story of a twelve-year-old Maura. Additionally, the trailer for Amazon’s new series One Mississippi was released. The show, available September 9, is a semi-autobiographical dark comedy written by and starring out comedian Tig Notaro. Watch the trailer below.
5) At the TCA Awards, many LGBTQ individuals and inclusive shows took home awards. Sarah Paulson, who will be returning for season six of American Horror Story, received the Individual Achievement in Drama Award for her work on The People V. O.J. Simpson. Grace and Frankie’s Lily Tomlin was honored with the Career Achievement Award. The Making a Murderer team, helmed by couple Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, took home the Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming award, and Mr. Robot received the Outstanding New Program award.
6) Out producer Greg Berlanti will executive produce a new show picked up by ABC. Criminal follows a motley crew of convicts all trying to clear their name after a CIA sting gone wrong. On top of that, Berlanti will be helming Freedom Fighters: The Ray, the next addition to The CW’s collection of DC superhero shows. Raymond Terrill, the reporter-turned-super hero and the main character of the show, will be the first gay hero to lead a series. The animated series will air on The CW’s online platform, CW Seed, with the possibility of Ray later becoming part of the live-action DC universe on the network.
7) Patrick Buis, a Dutch journalist who made short documentary On The Move, returns with Cocktail, a short about LGBTQ asylum seekers in the Amsterdam. The video below features advocate Nelis de Wit as he explains what the project is and the social implications of the campaign.
8) Michelle Chamuel, the out runner up of the 2013 season of The Voice, released her EP Feel It this week. The album has five songs, one bonus track, and can be purchased through bandcamp, both digitally and as a physical copy. In other entertainment news, tickets for Lured, a play by Frank J. Avella about anti-LGBTQ persecution in Russia, are now on sale. Lured opens on September 5th in New York City. For more information, visit their website.
9) The team behind DIVOS! The Movie has started a crowdfunding campaign to get the money needed in order to start production. The film is a modern retelling of All About Eve set in the world of high school theater. To find out more about their project and their fundraising efforts, check out DIVOS! The Movie’s official website and Indiegogo.
