‘The Thing About Harry’: Freeform Announces First-Ever Valentine’s Day Rom-Com
Freeform is preparing its Valentine’s Day lineup with their new original movie, The Thing About Harry, which has officially begun production in Chicago.
Set to premiere in February 2020 on the network, The Thing About Harry is the first Valentine’s Day feature from director Peter Paige who is behind beloved series such as The Fosters and Good Trouble. The film will tell the story of high school enemies, “out and proud” Sam and “uber-jock” Harry, who are forced to drive to a friend’s engagement party on Valentine’s Day together.
When Sam learns Harry has since come out and the two get stuck spending the night at a roadside motel, will romance begin to brew between the two?
Grey’s Anatomy‘s Jake Borelli will portray Sam, described as a “handsome, funny, neurotic, intelligent young gay man.” In his past, Sam endured bullying in his small Missouri town after he came out in high school. Meanwhile, newcomer Niko Terho will play the titular Harry “an emotionally uncomplicated, promiscuous player who has always left a string of broken hearts in his wake.”
The cast will also include Queer Eye‘s Karamo Brown as Paul, a well put-together, pretentious gay man and GLOW‘s Britt Baron will play Sam’s best friend Stasia. Meanwhile, director Peter Paige will also play a role in the film as Casey, Sam’s kind-hearted roommate.
“It’s been an honor to partner with Freeform in making great television with LGBTQ+ characters as leads. True equality can only be achieved when you see yourself reflected in the movies, music and stories that paint our culture,” said executive producers Paige, Greg Gugliotta and F.J. Denny in a joint statement.
Peter Paige and Britt Baron (Credit: Courtesy of Freeform)
“As young gay men in the ’90s, whenever a rom-com opened, we would watch the leading lady fall in love, and imagine what it would be like if the boy was saying all those things to another boy,” they continued. “We’ve always wanted to make a movie — an unabashedly romantic comedy — that queer boys wouldn’t have to translate. It’s rewarding to take the genre to a new, all-inclusive level.”
The film is written by Josh Senter and Peter Paige.
