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:
