“Yay another straight man playing a gay icon.
The LGBTQ+ corners of the internet rejoiced this weekend after learning that a White Lotus star was being considered for the role of gay pop star George Michael.
James is the top contender for a big-budget film about Michael's rise from his days with Wham! to his solo career, the Daily Mail reports. Michael died in 2016.
Appearing on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen last week, the tall, dark and handsome hunk noted his and Michael's shared Greek heritage when asked by a viewer about the possibility but otherwise remained mum.
"Oh yeah, I would love that," James said. "He's a lot of Greek, and I'm a lot of Greek. Put that Greek together, and you get falafel."
With his recent role in the resort-based show's second season, the 38-year-old British actor cemented his status as a Hollywood heartthrob. He played Cameron, a promiscuous husband on vacation in Italy with his wife, friend, and his friend's wife, played by Aubrey Plaza. Throughout the season, viewers pointed to the homoerotic undertones between Cameron and his friend Ethan, played by Will Sharpe.
Additionally, James sparked queer Twitter mania with his response to a Cohen signature game question.
James described himself as a "hungry, explosive, and fluid" lover during a pillow-talk segment. He also expressed his first reaction to seeing a prosthetic penis he wore for a White Lotus nude scene as "hunger."
. James's full name is Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis. Michael's full name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou.
Michael's family has endorsed the $100 million project, according to the paper. James is not yet officially confirmed, but he is rumored to be a favorite.
"The script is in the final stages, and producers are looking for their leading man," a source told the outlet. "Theo's name is the one on everyone's lips. He would be perfect for the part. This is George's story, warts and all."
The British newspaper is only the most recent publication to report on a Michael biopic. Back in 2021, The Sun’s Simon Boyle reported that Michael’s estate was “keen to move ahead” with a film on his life, but disputes between relatives and friends on the narrative arc the project would follow led to an indefinite hold.
George Michael, who died in 2016, has had his life story told on film before.
The 2017 documentary George Michael: Freedom featured narration from Michael recorded shortly before his death. Collaborators, admirers, and friends like Naomi Campbell, Elton John, and Liam Gallagher also contributed; the film was re-released with new footage last June as George Michael: Freedom Uncut.
Michael whose full name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with sales of over 120 million records worldwide.
He achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. In 2015, he was ranked 45th in Billboard’s list of the “Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time”.
No comments:
Post a Comment