Billy Eichner has signed on to write and star in Bros, the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio. The film will be released by Universal Pictures, and Eichner will play one half of the central pairing. He’s co-writing the screenplay alongside Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), who will also direct.
There’s no word on what the actual plot will entail right now, but Eichner being on board is a great start. He’s probably best known for his work on Parks & Recreation and Difficult People, but his talents are on display best during the manic and hilarious Billy On The Street, in which Eichner and a celebrity guest roam around New York asking strangers random questions (pre-COVID, of course).
That manic energy will be welcome on the big screen as Eichner tries to freshen up the romcom genre, which has mostly been relegated to streaming platforms in the last decade. Although Universal seem to be leading a tiny revival. Alongside Bros, just last week it was announced that George Clooney and Julia Roberts will be starring in Ticket To Paradise for the studio.
While the studio gets a tiny pat on the back for helping develop a gay romcom, it shouldn’t have taken anywhere near this long for a major studio romantic comedy to star gay men. Eichner said as much when he announced the project on Twitter:
In shocking news, BROS will be the first rom com about gay men ever produced by a major studio and, apparently, I’m the first openly gay man to ever write and star in their own studio film. Only took 100 years! THANKS HOLLYWOOD!!! 💫 https://t.co/ysrwEz2Mmo
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 5, 2021
Judd Apatow and Joshua Church will produce the film alongside Eichner and Stoller. We’ll wait for more plot details to emerge, and also who will star alongside Eichner. Bros is currently scheduled to be released on August 12, 2022.
#Peace.Love.Bros
