We are all struck by Ben’s beautiful and resonant short story, exploring love, loss and memory. The project will be produced by End Cue’s Andrew Kortschak (“Cop Car,” “The Art of Self-Defense”) and Lisa Ciuffetti (“The Clovehitch Killer,” “The Art of Self-Defense”) alongside Andrea Roa (“It Comes at Night”).Įnd Cue’s Kortschak said: “Working with Oliver, Ben, Paul and Josh is an immense privilege. Principal photography will begin in summer 2022, predominantly in the U.S. This undeniably powerful story will certainly resonate with audiences the world over.” This is an unexpected love story that needs to be told - it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound. “Paul and Josh are two of the most promising actors of their generation who will share with us deeply soulful performances. I am sorry.“I instantly fell in love with Ben Shattuck’s flawlessly beautiful short story and knew I had to be involved in its journey to the screen,” said Hermanus of the project. “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. “It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” Chapek wrote. On Friday, Chapek sent out another internal memo to Disney, apologizing directly to the company’s LGBTQ employees. He donated $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign - but it was rejected by the HRC, which issued a statement about not accepting money from Disney “until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates.”
The movie was banned in several Middle Eastern countries, and the kiss was censored in others, but even the censored version shows the two men as happily married with a child.Īfter various Disney creatives voiced their outrage, Chapek released a public shareholder statement clarifying the company’s stance and said that Disney had not donated to politicians specifically because of the bill. He kisses his husband onscreen and says he wants to spend his days with his family. In the Eternals, Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos is married to a man named Ben and the two of them are raising a child together.
Below, we’ve laid out the milestones in Disney’s history of queer content. Viewers have certainly come up with their own queer readings of Disney and Pixar stories alike, but it’s debatable whether the studio has delivered the “inspiring” content Chapek seems to think it’s using to help change the world. “Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.”
“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” the letter reads. “I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support,” Chapek wrote in the memo.īut while Chapek’s words might imply that Disney has a productive history of creating “inspiring” queer content, a group of Pixar employees penned a letter in response to Chapek’s statements, and specifically called out that line. When news outlets reported that The Walt Disney Company donated money to legislators who supported Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent an internal memo to the company saying Disney would still “unequivocally” support its LGBTQ employees.