October 17, 2018
'Looking' Star Murray Bartlett, Bob the Drag Queen & More Join Netflix's 'Tales of the City' Reboot
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Casting details for the upcoming 10-episode Netflix series "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" continue to emerge, with news that "Looking" star Murray Bartlett will now play Michael "Mouse" Tolliver.
IndieWire reports that the handsome Australian actor follows in in the footsteps of original "Mouse" actor Marcus D'Amico, who starred in the 1993 miniseries produced by Britain's Channel 4. The role with re-cast with Paul Hopkins when Showtime followed up with two more miniseries, 1998's "More Tales of the City" and 2001's "Further Tales of the City."
Another "Looking" alum, Matthew Risch, is also part of the new cast, IndieWire reported, and two trans actresses will also appear. While Olympia Dukakis will reprise the role of Anna Madrigal, a younger version of the character will be portrayed by Jen Richards. Daniela Vega – who made a splash in last year's Oscar-nominated trans drama "A Fantastic Woman" – also has a role in the new series.
Casting news around the series had more surprises to offer, though, including the participation of "RuPaul" Season Eight winner Bob the Drag Queen and Josiah Victoria Garcia, who, according to a report at GLAAD, is "a non-binary trans actor who uses they/them pronouns"; moreover, a number of actors from the original miniseries will join Dukakis and original "Mary Anne Singleton" actress Laura Linney in a return to the mythic 28 Barbary Lane, including Paul Gross (heterosexual former lawyer Brian Hawkins, now Mary Ann's long-divorce ex) and Barbara Garrick (as lesbian character DeDe Halcyon Day).
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the show's entire writing staff are LGBTQ. Openly gay producer Alan Poul, of "Six Feet Under" fame, will direct as well as executive produce; showrunner Lauren Morelli, who also executive produces and writes, is also "part of the LGBTQ community," reports Deadline Hollywood.
The new series takes place twenty years after the events in the first six books of Maupin's beloved series. Though Maupin later authored three new sequels, set decades after the first volumes and centering around characters both old and new, media reports say that the show, which premieres in 2019, will be "all new."
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.
