Starzplay has acquired Stephen Dunn’s reimagining of groundbreaking British series “Queer as Folk” for a slew of territories including the U.K., several continental European countries, and Latin America.
The Peacock-produced reboot of the Russell T. Davies series from the ’90s about three clubgoing men in Manchester’s gay village, has been acquired by the streaming service for Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Latin America, Luxembourg, Spain, Netherlands, the Nordics and the U.K.
The eight-episode show will premiere in the U.K. on July 1, with other local premieres rolling out exclusively in the other territories on July 31. Two new episodes will be available each week.
Produced by UCP, a division of the Universal Studio Group, “Queer as Folk” is Stephen Dunn’s reimagining of the cult show created by Davies (“It’s A Sin,” “Doctor Who”) which has been transposed from Manchester to New Orleans where it looks at a diverse group of friends whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
“The original ‘Queer as Folk’ truly broke new ground in the television space and that innovative spirit perfectly aligns with the Starzplay slate of bold, unique, and complex storytelling,” said Jeff Cooke, the streamer’s senior VP of programming, international networks.
“We are elated to be the exclusive global home of the reimagined 2022 ‘Queer as Folk’ and look forward to our audiences devouring each episode this summer,” he added.
The ‘Queer as Folk’ series reboot stars Devin Way (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Brodie; Fin Argus (“The Gifted”) as Mingus; Jesse James Keitel (“Big Sky”) as Ruthie; CG as Shar, Johnny Sibilly (“Hacks”) as Noah; and Ryan O’Connell (“Special”) as Julian. O’Connell also serves as a writer and co-executive producer on the series.
Guest stars in the first season comprise include Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”); Juliette Lewis (“Yellowjackets”); Ed Begley Jr (“Better Call Saul”); Armand Fields (“Work in Progress”); and Chris Renfro (“Reno 911!”).
Dunn is the show’s creator, writer and executive producer. He also directed the pilot and additional episodes.
Jaclyn Moore (“Dear White People,” “Love Life”) also serves as an executive producer.
Other executive producers include Lee Eisenberg (“The Office”); Emily Brecht (“Turnt”) the British show’s original creator Russell T. Davies; Nicola Shindler (“It’s A Sin,”) and Louise Pedersen on behalf of All3 Media International, which distributes both the format and the original British series produced by Red Productions for Channel 4.
Brian Dannelly also serves as executive producer and directed several episodes.
The original “Queer as Folk” ran for 10 episodes between 1999 and 2000 in the U.K. It starred Aidan Gillen, Charlie Hunnam, and Craig Kelly. A North American remake was then launched in 2000 on the Canadian cable channel Showcase and the American channel Showtime. That series, set in Pittsburgh, ran for five seasons and starred Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Hal Sparks, Peter Paige, and Scott Lowell.
