Billy Eichner Says 'Bros' Took a 'Century' to Get Made: 'That's Not My Fault'
History in the making! Billy Eichner is breaking new ground with the upcoming romantic comedy Bros.
The movie — from the director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Neighbors and more — was confirmed to be in the works in February 2019. The Billy on the Street personality cowrote the screenplay for the film, which is the first of its kind.
“I wanted to make a movie that was hilarious and relatable to everyone, first and foremost I wanted to make a movie that felt authentic for the LGBTQ folks that the movie is about — and who have been so profoundly underserved by Hollywood over the years, particularly the major movie studios. From the storytelling to the casting to the crew, it was crucial for me that the needs of LGBTQ+ people were being prioritized,” Eichner wrote in a May 2022 statement, celebrating his achievement for being part of “the first gay rom-com ever released by a major studio.”
The Parks and Recreation alum continued, “And while it’s insane to me that it took this long to get this movie made, it’s still incredibly exciting to me — and a real sign of progress — that the same studio making movies like Jurassic World and The Fast and the Furious is also releasing this R-rated gay rom with an all LGBTQ+ cast, and with as much passion and enthusiasm as they release those other films. It’s taken way too long. I wish we had a movie like BROS when I was a kid — but I’m so excited and proud that this day has finally come!”
Distributor Universal Pictures bills the flick as “a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about how hard it is to find another tolerable human being to go through life with.” Eichner stars as a notable podcast host who “maybe, possibly, probably” finds himself “stumbling toward love” with the hunky Aaron (Hallmark‘s Luke Macfarlane).
While promoting the film at CinemaCon in April 2022, Eichner opened up about how important it was to not shy away from the realities of the LGBTQ+ experience — even the explicit ones.
“I think it’s the authenticity of the movie that’s making everyone — straight people, gay people — really come alive when they see it and really be thrilled by it,” the comedian explained at the time. “And they think it’s funny, too. There was one straight guy at a test screening who loved the movie. He was like, ‘Yeah, the sex scenes were like Jackass. They made me a little uncomfortable, but it was so funny. I didn’t care.’ And I was like, ‘Great, I’ll take it.'”
Scroll down to learn more about Bros before it hits theaters:
Eichner and Macfarlane star as the romantic leads, but the supporting cast is equally as impressive, from Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang to Glee alum Dot-Marie Jones. Shutterstock (3)
Bros was initially slated for an August 2022 release but will instead hit theaters on September 30, 2022. Universal Pictures
Podcaster Bobby Leiber (Eichner) is approached by a movie studio to write a gay rom-com that appeals to straight people. While attempting to expose the "bulls--t" myth that queer and heterosexual relationships are the same, Bobby falls for the handsome Aaron (Macfarlane). YouTube
Bros is the first major studio rom-com featuring an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast. "I will say, gay people, gay men, we just haven't had many stories where sex was funny and romantic, without it being something dirty," Eichner said at CinemaCon. "It's like we've either had two-dimensional sitcom characters who talked about sex, but in a very cartoonish way that didn't feel real." YouTube
Judd Apatow is one of the film's producers, along with Eichner's cowriter and director Nick Stoller. Shutterstock (2)
Fans got their first look at the film in May 2022. The teaser shows Bobby sitting down in a meeting with movie execs, which he recaps on his podcast. "I said, 'Love is love is love? No, it's not!'" he exclaims. YouTube
“Hollywood took a century to make this film,” Eichner told Variety in an August 2022 profile. “That’s not my fault — that’s Hollywood’s fault for taking this f—king long.” The Billy on the Street personality told the outlet that he feels a “responsibility” for the film to do well. He added: “I’ve worked so hard on it. I care so much about it and I want it to do well for the sake of the LGBTQ stories getting greenlit. So there’s a burden I feel, much as I want to sit here and just talk about how funny the movie is.” Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Comments
Post a Comment