Actor From AUGUST To Star In New HBO Show

A little belated news but THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER on May 15th announced that HBO is picking up to series a new gay-themed show about three friends living in San Francisco.  One of those friends is Murray Bartlett, the star of the feature film AUGUST that I co-wrote/produced with Eldar Rappaport. Murray was in the pilot for the series, directed by Andrew Haigh who made one of my favorite films of the last couple years WEEKEND, about two UK blokes who have a sexy/intense weekend together. 

I got meet Andrew when WEEKEND screened at the Castro the same week I was in San Francisco for the premiere of AUGUST. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with this show as it develops. There is not much word yet publicly on the story and it doesn't have a title.  All that's known is that it was based on a feature script by Michael Lannan who did a well-received short called LORIMER and who also notably produced the James Franco experimental film INT.LEATHER BAR that had Sundance buzzing this year. 

Anyway, I think it's great that HBO has stepped up to the plate to produce something in which the gay characters don't inhabit the fringes of a major show but instead, finally, take center stage.