By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Former Palisadian Judd Apatow is set to produce Billy Eichner’s history-making 2022 “Bros”—billed by Universal Pictures as “the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men.”
“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,” Eichner wrote on Twitter about the film. “Only took 100 years!”
Eichner, best known for five seasons of comedy game show “Billy on the Street” between 2011 and 2017, played Craig Middlebrooks on “Parks and Recreation” and Timon in the 2019 remake of “The Lion King.”
In each episode of “Billy on the Street,” Eichner traversed the streets of New York City, often accompanied by a special guest celebrity, and asked pedestrians pop culture questions. Two recurring games on the show were “For a Dollar” and “Quizzed in the Face.”
Eichner was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2013 for Outstanding Game Show Host.
He has also worked alongside Palisadian Conan O’Brien on his late-night talk show.
“I’m honored that it’s me, but it should have been someone else 30 or 40 years ago,” Eichner said in an interview with Variety. “I hear people talking about diversity and inclusion, but I often see gay people left out of those conversations. The comedy community, which has always been such a straight man’s game, has not been kind to openly gay men.”
According to preliminary reports, Nicholas Stoller (“Neighbors” franchise) will direct, with Apatow, Stoller and Joshua Church producing.
Eichner’s on-screen love interest has not been announced yet.
“Thank you [Universal Pictures],” Eichner later tweeted. “Let’s go make history.”
As the Palisadian-Post went to print, “Bros” was slated to release August 12, 2022.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
