Sep 23
Josh O'Connor's Queer Rom-Com 'Bonus Track' Coming to U.S. Theaters
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
"Challengers" star Josh O'Connor is credited with the story for a queer rom-com about two British high school boys teaming up for a talent show and finding they make beautiful music together, according to Variety.
"Set in 2006 England, the story follows 16-year-old aspiring musician George (Anders), who befriends Max (Small), the son of a famous musical duo, as they prepare for a year-end talent show," the entertainment magazine detailed. "Their friendship evolves in unexpected ways."
Calling the film a "coming-of-age queer rom-com," Variety noted that the film "stars Joe Anders ('1917') and Samuel Small ('So Awkward'), supported by an ensemble cast including Ray Panthaki ('Boiling Point'), Susan Wokoma ('Enola Holmes'), Jack Davenport ('Ten Percent'), Alison Sudol (the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise) and O'Connor ('Challengers') in a cameo role."
The film's U.S. rollout is timed to coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
O'Connor identifies as straight, but he has been involved with a number of films in which he has played queer and queer-adjacent roles, including the gay romance "God's Own Country," the polyamory drama "Hide & Seek," and, reportedly, "The History of Sound," in which he and Paul Mescal allegedly play two World War I-era men who develop a relationship.
Reports also suggested that O'Connor is under consideration for the next movie from "Queer" director Luca Guadagnino, a film adaptation of Pier Vittorio Tondelli's "Separate Rooms."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
