Afterelton writes:

We've been eagerly anticipating news about the announced remake of the gay-inclusive let's-put-on-legwarmers-and-a-show classic Fame, which tells the story of aspiring jazz-handers in a New York City high school for the performing arts.

With the phenomenal success of the High School Musical movies, a reboot of Fame (which also had a run as a television show following the success of the 1980 feature) is a no-brainer. But given the Disney franchise's reluctance to acknowledge the fact that the gay kids love themselves some musical theater, we were nervous that the Fame remake would follow a similar path.

Thankfully, much like the original film (which featured gay teen Montgomery, played by Paul McCrane) the remake will feature a gay character in the central cast.

Paul McGill plays Kevin, a gay student whom the production tells us is a significant character in the ensemble. No word on whether Kevin's sexuality will be an issue (like it was for Montgomery) or if the update will reflect changes in societal attitudes toward gay folks, but we'll of course be all over it like a dance belt on a BFA either way.

Interesting bit of trivia: Paul McGill's biggest film credit to date is playing the younger version of daredevil Philippe Petit in the Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire, in which he had to ride a unicycle. And considering McGill recently played Mark in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, we know he's got the singing and dancing chops as well.

Last update: 02-25-2009 18:14