Cast Shakes Out for Roland Emmerich’s Gay Civil Rights Drama ‘Stonewall,’ Now in Production
Director Roland Emmerich is taking a break from high-octane action tentpoles this Summer to shoot “Stonewall,” his labor-of-love set in the gay civil rights milieu of 1969. Adapted from Jon Robin Baitz’s script, the film is now in production, with new cast members Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Perlman and Joey King now on board.
Given that June is LGBT Pride Month, the timing is right as stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Perlman and Joey King join cast members Jeremy Irvine (“War Horse”), Caleb Landry Jones (“X-Men: First Class”) and Jonny Beauchamp (“How to Make It in America”) in this drama centered on the Stonewall Riots.
High ratings and reception for Ryan Murphy’s AIDS drama for HBO, “The Normal Heart,” are also spurring interest in this film, which focuses on one young man (Irvine) who comes of age amid a wildly turbulent New York moment. HBO will also bring gay marriage doc “The Case Against Eight” to theaters this Friday, ahead of its small-screen debut on June 23.
Here’s the official “Stonewall” synopsis, with cast details:
Kicked out of his own home, young Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) flees to NY, leaving behind his beloved sister (Joey King). Homeless and destitute, he befriends a group of street kids who soon introduce him to the watering hole of the local drag queens, gays, lesbians, and everything in between: The Stonewall Inn. However, this shady, mafia-run club is far from a safe-haven.
At the bar, Danny meets the suave Trevor (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) before catching the eye of Ed Murphy (Ron Perlman), Stonewall’s repulsive manager who colludes with corrupt police, exploits homeless youth for financial gain, and is even suspected to have had a hand in some of their “disappearances.” It spirals out of control when the police unexpectedly raid Stonewall. In a storm of anger and with the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born.
“Stonewall” is produced by Michael Fossat, Marc Frydman, Emmerich, and Carsten Lorenz; and executive producers are Kirstin Winkler, Adam Press and Michael Roban.
