Camera Man

Billy Porter’s directorial debut will be a high school rom com about a trans teen

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Not content to rest on his laurels, showbiz dynamo Billy Porter has announced he will try his hand at directing a feature film with the new romantic comedy What If?

Porter, best known for his Emmy-winning role on the series Pose will helm What If? from a script by Alvaro García Lecuona. Christine Vachon, lion of queer indie cinema, will produce the film, adding it to her impressive filmography which boasts titles including Velvet Goldmine, Carol, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Boys Don’t Cry. David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, and D.J. Gugenheim will produce alongside Vachon.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this new space in Hollywood for telling all types of stories from all types of people,” Porter told Deadline of the announcement. I am grateful to be in a position to usher some of these stories into the mainstream and I am humbled that heavy hitters like Christine Vachon and Alana Mayo have entrusted and empowered me in this insane time we all find ourselves in.”

Related: WATCH: Billy Porter, Peppermint, Bob the Drag Queen and more want you to VOTE!

What If? follows a popular high school senior who falls for a transgender girl at his school. Friends on the internet encourage him to take a chance, and the pair must navigate their final year in high school together in a way neither expected. Press for the film describes it as a cross between Booksmart and Lovie, Simon.

Billy Porter has emerged as something of a cultural icon in the past few years, becoming the first openly gay African-American to win a Lead Actor Emmy. Porter has also won a Tony Award and a Grammy Award for his work in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. He’s also developed a reputation as a fashion innovator, with his choice of wardrobe for the Academy Awards and New York’s fashion week making him a style icon.

No release date has been announced for What If?

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