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Hayley Kiyoko Wants to Make a Lesbian ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’: ‘Keira Knightley, But Gay’
At a panel discussion titled "Saving Queer Media" held at UTA in Beverly Hills, several prominent queer filmmakers shared their dream projects with industry peers. The event, moderated by Variety and hosted by UTA Proud, served as a fundraiser for the Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ film festival Outfest and highlighted the persistent challenges queer creatives face in securing funding for their stories.
Hayley Kiyoko, who recently made her directorial debut with "Girls Like Girls," expressed her desire to create a lesbian pirate film or television series, describing it as "Keira Knightley, but gay." Adam Shankman revealed his dream project is a big-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical "Spring Awakening," set in late 19th-century Germany, though he acknowledged its intense subject matter makes funding unlikely. Wash Westmoreland sought to adapt Chris Bryant's 2020 book "The Glamour Boys," about queer British MPs in the 1930s who witnessed the rise of Nazism, whilst Angela Robinson has been attempting to develop her 2004 film "D.E.B.S." as a television series.
In short
- Queer filmmakers share dream projects at Beverly Hills fundraiser panel
- Hayley Kiyoko pitches lesbian Pirates of the Caribbean adaptation
- Period pieces and LGBTQ+ stories struggle to secure studio funding
Explained simply
The entertainment industry faces a funding gap when it comes to stories by and about LGBTQ+ people. A panel discussion titled "Saving Queer Media" convened several prominent queer filmmakers in Los Angeles to discuss their vision for major projects and address this challenge.
Hayley Kiyoko, an actress who recently turned to directing, shared her ambition to create a lesbian pirate film or television series. She described her vision as "Keira Knightley, but gay," indicating an adventure story with the scale and tone of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise but centred on queer characters.
Several other filmmakers at the discussion are also developing ambitious queer-focused projects, from musicals to period dramas to adapted screenplays. The panel exists to help address the ongoing difficulty such creators face in securing funding for their stories.