Out actor Luke Macfarlane has been cast
as Billy Eichner's romantic interest in Universal's upcoming gay
rom-com Bros.
Bros is the first gay male
rom-com from a major studio. Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis
starred in last year's holiday romantic comedy Happiest Season
from Sony Pictures. The film debuted as a Hulu Original after Sony
canceled plans for a theatrical release due to the coronavirus
pandemic. However, the film could still be released theatrically by
Sony outside the United States.
Bros focuses on two gay men
(Eichner and Macfarlane) with commitment issues who try to navigate a
relationship.
It will be directed by Nicholas Stoller
(Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), with Judd Apatow
(Trainwreck, The Big Sick) co-producing. Eichner, who will
also serve as executive producer on the movie, co-wrote the script
with Stoller.
“In shocking news, BROS will be the
first rom com about gay men ever produced by a major studio and,
apparently, I'm the first openly gay man to ever write and star in
their own studio film,” Eichner tweeted in March when news broke of
the film. “Only took 100 years! THANKS HOLLYWOOD!!!”
Macfarlane is best known for playing
Scotty Wandell in the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters. He's
also appeared in nearly a dozen Hallmark movies. Other television
credits include The Night Shift, Killjoys, Mercy
Street, Satisfaction, and Over There.