In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Queer as Folk show creator Stephen Dunn (Closet Monster) discussed how he drew inspiration from Orlando's Pulse Night Club shooting for his upcoming series. To acquire rights for his "reimagining" of the trailblazing original, Dunn traveled to London to meet with Russell T Davies, the original show's creator, writer and director. His pitch focused on the aftermath of a shooting in a New Orleans gay bar. Dunn walked away with the show rights, and Davies signed on as an executive producer.
"I knew from the beginning there was only one way and one reason to reimagine the show. I didn’t want the title just for the sake of the title. I wanted to re-envision it through the lens of what happened post-Pulse. Pulse is a specific event that targeted the Latinx community in Orlando. Our show is completely fictional, but the trajectory of our story is inspired by the realities of what that was like — not just that night, but the aftermath and the way that the community of Orlando rebuilt in the wake of that tragedy," said Dunn.
Dunn hired queer writers, and LGBTQ actors, including Devin Way (Grey’s Anatomy), Fin Argus (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Ryan O’Connell (Special), to play the show's LGBTQ roles. Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers), are also part of the series cast, as parents of the LGBTQ youth.
Dunn's Version of Queer as Folk is Not a Reboot
This is the third interpretation of the drama that centered around the lives of a group of friends in Manchester's gay quarter. It aired for two seasons, starting in 1999. A Showtime update ran for five seasons, beginning in 2000. Dunn is clear that this is not a reboot, but a "reimagining".
"We’re acknowledging the past while fully paving our own way because that was the only way I could approach this. We had to break new ground in order to tell the story and to make it relevant because we have our own generation’s things to say. We have a new story," Dunn said.
Queer as Folk has been in development since 2018. It was initially picked up by Bravo but then landed with streaming service Peacock. Production had a major setback due to the pandemic, but Dunn jumped into action to ensure that his updated version of Queer as Folk would not be halted. He enlisted the help of friends, colleagues and celebrities within the LGBTQ community and created a video where they discussed their experiences.
The first season of Queer as Folk premieres June 9 on Peacock. Dunn’s take is the second adaptation of the original for U.S. audiences.