Independence Day Director To Helm Gay Rights Drama Stonewall

[MovieBob]

Independence Day Director To Helm Gay Rights Drama Stonewall

Blockbuster specialist Roland Emmerich will helm drama depicting beginning of the gay rights movement

Roland Emmerich, best known as the director of big-budget action films like Independence Day and White House Down, is moving ahead with Stonewall; a historical drama which will focus on the early days of the gay rights movement. The film is a passion project for the openly-gay, politically-active filmmaker, who has been trying to assemble a "Stonewall" project for over a decade.

The Stonewall Riots [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots] refer to multiple public demonstrations and clashes between police and members of the gay community over several days in Greenwich Village NY after a police raid of The Stonewall Inn, a local gay bar, in June of 1969. The events are commonly considered to be the birth of the organized gay-liberation and gay rights movements.

War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has the lead role as a rural teenager who moves to New York and becomes politically awakened after being swept up in the riots. Emmerich will direct from a script by playwright John Robin Baitz while preparing his next feature, the long-awaited sequel to Independence Day.


Source: Deadline [http://www.deadline.com/2014/04/jeremy-irvine-stars-in-roland-emmerichs-stonewall-ground-zero-for-gay-rights/]

Permalink

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

On the one hand, it's tempting to dismiss it because, you know, Emmerich. His films aren't unwatchable, but you'll never see them classified as anything higher-ranking than "popcorn movies". However, he seems to have a great deal of drive to make the movie work. Sometimes, that can be enough to make a movie better than normal.

 

[Vault101]

On the one hand, it's tempting to dismiss it because, you know, Emmerich. His films aren't unwatchable, but you'll never see them classified as anything higher-ranking than "popcorn movies". However, he seems to have a great deal of drive to make the movie work. Sometimes, that can be enough to make a movie better than normal.

And a somewhat admirable (if a bit misguided) apraoch to equality

 

[Xman490]

Bob, slow down. I, for one, know this issue is important. But you might be pushing yourself too much. Isn't writing and editing two video shows here, writing two article series, and occasionally working on The Game Overthinker too much for you already? Now you're doing news articles?

Anyways... yeah, another spotlight for the Rights For Gays (not exactly "Gay Rights" as rights aren't determined by demographic but are instead shared for more and more demographics) Movement. Pardon my apathy, but I felt like giving some attention to this important movement.

 

[Zero Serenity]

On the one hand...fuck it. There's only one hand. If anybody should be working on something so dear to LGBT activism it should be a gay man. I'm personally a bit pumped about this prospect.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

On the one hand, it's tempting to dismiss it because, you know, Emmerich. His films aren't unwatchable, but you'll never see them classified as anything higher-ranking than "popcorn movies". However, he seems to have a great deal of drive to make the movie work. Sometimes, that can be enough to make a movie better than normal.

Well "Woland" is an openly gay progressivist so at least he really gives a damn about the material... not that you always get a good movie out of that kind of passion but at least you get passion, not a soul-less cash in of a film.

 

[Sarge034]

WHOA WHOA WHOA! I think we can all agree here that the important information in this article is that they are getting ready to make Independence Day 2.

...

Ok, I'll be serious for a second. As much as I don't have a horse in this race (I'm heterosexual and probably not going to watch the movie) I think this could either go very well or very poorly, nothing in-between. Either the movie will take liberties with history to make one side the mustache twirling Skeletor level of evil and one side the Mother Teresa of oppressed peoples or it will present the historical situation but it will take back seat to some contrived love story. The only way I could see this not pissing the largest customer base off possible is to dirty both sides. Show the homophobia from one side, show the distain for heterosexuals some felt on the other side, show the corruption on both sides, show the church influence on policy making, and show the combative nature of some of the protestors and cops. It's just... please don't vilify or glorify one entire group over the other because neither were completely evil or completely innocent.

But seriously, I'm interested to see what they do with ID2. *activates flame shield and runs the fuck away*

 

[Thaluikhain]

Although it gets described as the beginning of the Gay Rights movement by people a lot, it wasn't. Fighting for gay rights has been around long before that.

 

[FogHornG36]

Hope its good as a movie too, would hate to see reviews lose their job due to a backlash of social justice warriors.

 

[Scorpid]

Roland, just make the main character gay. You'll get so much shit if the main character is going to be the one great heterosexual hope of gays in 1969. Rightly so as well, it'll be cowardly to do anything but make the protagonist a homosexual.