Billy Eichner's new movie has an all LGBTQ main cast: 'Yes, even in all the straight roles!'

Billy Eichner's upcoming romantic comedy is set to make history.

The actor will co-write and star in Universal Pictures' Bros, and he announced Thursday that the film's main cast consists entirely of LGBTQ+ actors, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Yes, even in all the straight roles," he noted, calling this a "first for a major studio film."

"After queer actors have spent decades watching straight actors capitalize both artistically and professionally by playing LGBTQ+ characters, it is a long overdue dream come true to be able to assemble this remarkable, hilarious cast," Eichner also said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

That's not the only way the movie will make history. According to the Reporter, it will be the first gay romantic comedy to be released by a major studio ever, and Eichner will become the "first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film." Luke Macfarlane stars opposite Eichner, with TS Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone, Guillermo Diaz, and Guy Branum fleshing out the cast.

Eichner, who is currently starring on Impeachment: American Crime Story, said he hopes the film is "only the first of many opportunities for openly LGBTQ+ ensembles to shine and show the world all we are capable of as actors, beyond just being the wacky sidekick, token queer or a straight movie star's 'gay best friend.'" In an interview with Deadline last year, he criticized the fact that actors who "present themselves as something other than masculine" have "tended, in the past, not to be allowed to have the types of dynamic, chameleon-like careers that straight actors" have, adding, "There is no gay Tom Hanks in this country. There is no gay Will Ferrell. There's no gay Steve Carell. There's no gay Paul Rudd. There's no gay Kevin Hart. There's no gay Will Smith. The list goes on and on, and that's not a coincidence."

Bros is set to debut in August 2022.