October 12, 2022
Another Gay Rom-Com On the Way Starring Ryan O'Connell, Jim Parsons
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After the historically gay rom-com "Bros" bombed at the box office, Ryan O'Connell is hoping build off of the film's steam with a new gay rom-com called "Just by Looking at Him."
As reported by Variety, the film is based off of a book O'Connell wrote about his life as a gay television writer with cerebral palsy. O'Connell will play the lead role of Elliot and will also direct the feature. Singed on to play his boss is out "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons as Elliot's boss.
With a typical rom-com spin, the movie will follow Elliot as he tries "to find love and connection in a world that wasn't built for him."
"FilmNation Entertainment and Berlanti/Schechter Films' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will produce the film. Lucas Wiesendanger will oversee production for FilmNation," Variety reports. "Michael McGrath will executive produce for Berlanti/Schechter Films. FilmNation Entertainment is financing and handling worldwide sales with CAA Media Finance co-repping U.S. rights. Filming will start in the spring."
In a statement about the feature, O'Connell said it has been "absolute heaven" working on the film adaptation of his novel. "I'm beyond excited to terrorize a new medium with my gay filth!!!" he said.
O'Connell has written for The New York Times, Vice and Vulture, as well as for television, including MTV's "Awkward," "Will & Grace," Netflix's "The Baby-Sitter's Club" and Peacock's recent "Queer as Folk" reboot.
"When Ryan pitched us 'Just by Looking at Him' in his singular style – in his words, a Nora Ephron movie with a ton of gay sex – we were immediately hooked by his hilarious, totally original, empathetic vision for the film. said Ashley Fox, FilmNation Entertainment's president of production. "Ryan is the perfect filmmaker to bring this personal-yet-universal underdog story to life. It's unlike anything else out there, and we're thrilled to be part of it, alongside our wonderful partners at Berlanti/Schechter."
What do you think? Will O'Connell succeed where Billy Eichner couldn't?
