Richard E. Grant has landed the starring role in 20th Century Fox’s big-screen re-telling of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. The Gosford Park actor will play a former drag queen who mentors Jamie New, an outcast who finds his voice as a drag queen, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Like the play, the film is inspired by the true story of Jamie Campbell, a 16-year-old who doesn’t quite fit in, is terrified about the future, but nonetheless is on the path to stardom. Thanks to the support of his friends and family, Jamie is able to triumph over prejudice all the way into the spotlight.
Catastrophe co-creator Sharon Horgan has also been cast as Jamie’s teacher Miss Hedge. Also on the callsheet is Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), who plays his mother Margaret. Shobna Gulati, who starred in the play, will reprise her role of Ray.
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Also making the migration from stage to screen are director Jonathan Butterell, writer Tom MacRae, composer Dan Gillespie Sells and choreographer Kate Prince. Filming is expected to begin in Sheffield, England on June 24.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is produced by Mark Herbert and Peter Carlton for Warp Films, and New Regency’s Arnon Milchan. The executive producers include Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer for New Regency and Daniel Battsek and Ollie Madden for Film4, who developed the project alongside Warp Films.
Grant can next be seen in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is in theaters this December, and he’ll also star in the series Dispatches From Everywhere, which is due out next year.
