SNL’s Bowen Yang to star in gay Asian rom-com that’s ‘Pride and Prejudice on Fire Island’
Bowen Yang has been cast in the new Quibi show (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Comedy Central)
Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang has been cast in a gay comedy series inspired by Pride and Prejudice.
The gay comedian, who has brought some much needed extra queer energy to SNL since joining the cast last year, will front the new rom-com series Trip on upstart mobile streaming service Quibi.
According to Deadline, Trip will feature two best friends enjoying a week-long holiday on the famous gay resort of Fire Island in New York.
Joel Kim Booster is making a Quibi show with ‘best friend’ Bowen Yang.
Showrunner Joel Kim Booster, who will also star in the show, tweeted: “Jumping back on here to share some good news: I get to make a movie with one of my best friends.
“This story was very much inspired by our friendship, which is why I cast @bowenyang in the titular role.”
He added: “GAY. ASIAN. ROM COM INSPIRED BY PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Haha. F**k. I’m laughing bc imagine explaining this to someone ten years ago.”
One fan quipped: “Um can the universe please stop giving me things to live for and look forward to? If I’m going to maintain this aloof depressed millennial postmodern nihilism thing I’ve got going on then I need people to stop making things I’ll love.”
Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang onstage in 2018. (Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic)
Booster has been trying to make the project happen for some time, tweeting last year: “For the last couple of years I’ve been threatening to pitch a gay Pride and Prejudice adaptation that takes place entirely on Fire Island and I finally found a platform foolish enough to do it!!”
He added: “This is my version of Sandler telling Netflix he has to film his next movie on the Amalfi Coast or some s**t. Only I’m making all my friends wear speedos on Long Island in April.”
Quibi has a lot of queer content, but not that many viewers.
It’s far from the first LGBT-focused show on Quibi, which has signed up a host of queer stars including Sasha Velour, Lena Waithe, Adam Rippon and Titus Burgess in the hopes of helping the platform take off.
Booster also stars in queer dating show reboot Singled Out, while the comedy Gayme Show! sees two LGBT+ allies paired with a celebrity “life partner” as they battle for the title “Queen of the Straights”.
However, Quibi is yet to have a major breakout hit — with its bitesize content, intended to be consumed on phones while people are out and about, unsurprisingly struggling at a time when most people are locked inside their own homes with a big TV and too much free time.
