Oct 25
Jeremy Irvine to Play Dancing Gay Fireman in Ballroom Comedy
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
"Stonewall" star Jeremy Irvine is set to co-star with Rupert Everett as a gay fireman who burns up the ballroom scene in Chris Cottam's inspired-by-a-true-story comedy "The Light Fantastic."
The Hollywood Reporter detailed that the film "follows Jason (Irvine), a gay firefighter in his 30s who aspires to become a professional ballroom dancer."
"Set in Blackpool, the story chronicles his journey of self-discovery as he challenges ballroom traditions under the watchful eye of his traditional instructor Reynolds (Everett)," the writeup continued.
Irvine, a British actor who starred in "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again," has kept busy since that 2018 hit, appearing in film and television projects that include Sky's 2022 holiday rom-com "This is Christmas" and last year's horror film "Baghead." He was poised to star in a miniseries adaptation of "Green Lantern" that would have featured Alan Scott, an out gay member of the superhero corps, but that Greg Berlanti-led project underwent an overhaul that dropped the gay-inclusive concept before it was axed altogether when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC's troubled superhero movie franchise.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Layton Williams are also set to star in the dance flick, which has signed "famed mother-and-son dance duo Mark and Shirley Ballas" as choreographers, THR noted.
Mark Ballas is "a three-time 'Dancing with the Stars' winner," while Shirley Ballas serves as "head judge on the British version of the show 'Strictly Come Dancing,'" THR added.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
