Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Every week, the GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend!

1) Box office hit Crazy Rich Asians has been awarded a sequel only one week after the film’s release. The rom-com was the top movie at the box office this past weekend, and continues to see growth. The sequel will be based off author Kevin Kwan’s other books in the series. More details will be revealed after the script is written. We hope to see more of out actor Nico Santos in his role as Nick’s second cousin and gay fashion designer, Oliver T’Sien. Crazy Rich Asians is currently playing in theaters nationwide. 

2) HBO’s new comedy series Mrs. Fletcher, based on the novel of the same name, has been picked up to series. Jen Richards, an actress/writer/producer and trans advocate, who you can catch as part of Variety’s roundtable on being trans in Hollywood, will star as a series regular playing the woman who teaches a writing class that the protagonist Eve (Kathryn Hahn) enrolls in. Richards is best known for her roles on Better Things and Nashville, as well as co-creating and starring in the GLAAD Media Award-winning and Emmy nominated web series Her Story. 

3) Out writer and filmmaker Russell T. Davies is working on a new five-part series titled The Boys, about the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. The series will follow the lives of three young gay men, Ritchie, Roscoe, and Colin, who move away from home at age 18 and are full of hope as they start their adult lives in 1981 London. Spanning the course of a decade, the series will follow them as their lives and community are affected by HIV and AIDS, exploring their struggles with the epidemic and the discrimination they face from British society. 

4) Pose‘s Angelica Ross will be co-starring in and executive producing a web series titled King Ester alongside newcomer trans actress DeJaye Joseph. Joseph will play the main role of Ester, a transgender woman in New Orleans who is figuring out her sexual identity and determined to be a star, but facing immense challenges after Hurricane Katrina threatens to destroy the life she has worked so hard to create. King Ester will be released in 2019.

5) Netflix’s hit series GLOW has been renewed for a third season. Following the women of The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in the ’80s, the show’s second season introduced a queer romance between characters Yolanda and Arthie. Netflix also renewed Easy for a third and final season. Telling intertwined stories of romance in Chigaco, Easy features queer actress Kiersey Clemons as lesbian hipster Chase. Clemons will continue to star in the third season. In more television news, The CW has set premiere dates (December 9-11) for their annual Arrowverse crossover event, which will introduce the new Batwoman, a lesbian superhero played by out actress Ruby Rose.

6) Drag Race alum Courtney Act has announced that she will be hosting a reality dating show for bisexual, pansexual, and sexually fluid folks in the UK. Titled The Bi Life, the series will premiere in October on E! UK, and will hopefully be a step forward to dismantle the biphobia faced by bi+ people both in the community and in the wider world. In more drag news come an upcoming Netflix docuseries about Drag Race alum, Alyssa Edwards. The series, Dancing Queen, will premiere on October 5 and will follow Edwards in her attempt to balance her life of drag, family, work, and romance. Watch the trailer below.

The queen you know. The stories you don’t.

Watch #DragRace fan-favorite @AlyssaEdwards_1 in #DancingQueen, a brand new docuseries premiering October 5! pic.twitter.com/ohG4QQwtvQ

— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) August 22, 2018

7) Netflix has released a trailer for their new special, The Comedy Lineup: Part 2. Featuring out comedians Emma Willman and Matteo Lane, the special consists of 15-minute sets from many up-and-coming comics. Be sure to also check out Matteo at GLAAD & HBO’s “New Queer Comedy” panel that took place in Provincetown last week, below! Additionally, comedian Shawn Pelofsky has released her new hour-long comedy special titled, Stretch It Out!. Available for purchase on all digital platforms including Amazon, On Demand, iTunes, Xbox, Google Play, and others, the special covers topics ranging from the LGBTQ community to her Jewish identity. Click here for more information.

8) The trade paperback collection of Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles hits comic book shops this week and book stores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon on Tuesday. This collection brings together all six issues of the miniseries along with a separate side story. Snagglepuss is a gay Southern playwright in 1953. As he prepares for his next stage show, he also must escape the target on his back from the House Un-American Activities Committee who are trying to sabotage his hit play and his reputation. Check out Exit Stage Left at Amazon, Comixology, or your local shop.

9) Queer singer, rapper, and songwriter Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, has released his fourth album, Negro Swan. The GLAAD Media Award-nominated artist’s work shows a vulnerability and strength as he collaborates with artists on the new album that include Puff Daddy, Amandla Stenberg, and trans writer, director, and advocate Janet Mock. Negro Swan is available wherever music is sold, check out Blood Orange’s tour dates here, and watch the video for “Jewelry,” which features Mock, below. 

10) Out singer Sam Smith has released a new single with Calvin Harris titled “Promises”, along with a mesmerizing lyric video for the track. Click here to listen to the song. Additionally, out rapper Big Dipper has released his debut album, Late Bloomer. Click here to listen to the album, which is about his tendency as a person and artist to evolve slowly in life as a – wait for it! – “late bloomer.”

11) Pansexual and gender fluid singer Héloïse Letissier, more widely known as Christine and the Queens, has released a new video for the song “5 dollars” off their highly-anticipated sophomore album Chris, which will be out on September 21. In the video, Letissier plays with gender expression as the singer is shown getting dressed with both traditionally feminine and masculine clothing. Click here to see Christine and the Queens on tour and watch the video below. Additionally, the music video for “Ring” was released, a collaboration between queer singer Kehlani and Cardi B. Watch the video here.

12) Out singer Hayley Kiyoko won the first-ever VMA award for Push Artist of the Year, and used her speech to advocate for other queer women of color to follow their dreams. Kiyoko released her first full length album, Expectations, this spring, and was also nominated at the VMAs this year for Best New Artist. Click here to check out the full list of winners and watch Kiyoko’s speech below.

13) Filmmaker Shane Aaron is seeking support for his upcoming project, Floating Novelties. After Miller walks in on his longtime boyfriend, Ben, as he’s having an affair, their relationship crumbles. In one final effort to fix their relationship, the two decide to go on a camping trip in the Rocky Mountains. However, their trip takes an unexpected turn after meeting fellow campers Jessie and Tessa. Click here to help fund this project and watch the cast talk about the film below.