Billy Porter To Play Writer & Civil Rights Icon James Baldwin In New Biopic

etcanada.com:

Billy Porter has got his next role lined up, and the “Pose” star will be stepping into some big shoes after signing on to play legendary gay Black writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a script is being written by screenwriter Dan McCabe. based on David Leeming’s 1994 biography James Baldwin: A Biography.

Porter is no stranger to Baldwin’s groundbreaking work; as THR recalled, he referenced one of Baldwin’s quotes in his acceptance speech after winning an Emmy in 2019. READ MORE: Billy Porter Opens Up About Early Struggles As Gay Musician: ‘The Industry Was Very Homophobic’ “‘It took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught about myself and halfway believed before I could walk around this Earth like I had the right to be here,’” he said, quoting Baldwin, with the speech receiving a standing ovation.

Accompanying the news, Baldwin issued a statement to THR. “As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness, I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time,'” he said. READ MORE: Billy Porter Desperately Wants To Collaborate With Jennifer Lopez: ‘I Have Her Number, I’m Trying To Not Bug Her’ “I am because James was,” he continued. “I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.” “Billy Porter and Dan McCabe’s talent and commitment to amplifying James Baldwin’s legacy and contributions are invaluable and unmatched for this unique and epic story,” said Byron Allen, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, which will be producing the project in partnership with Porter’s Incognegro Productions.