They're making a movie of "The Mayor of Castro Street"

[Moloch]

based on Randy Shilts' book. This is going to be awesome I can't wait!@#!@#

A Film About the Life and Death of Harvey Milk
Director Bryan Singer will be taking a break from comic book inspired movies - "X-Men, "X2," and "Superman Returns" - when he steps behind the camera to direct "The Mayor of Castro Street" for Warner Bros Pictures.

Based on the 1982 biography written by Randy Shilts, "The Mayor of Castro Street" is the story of Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was gunned down by SF supervisor Daniel White. Milk was the first openly gay supervisor to serve the city of San Francisco and his death helped unite the gay community.

Director Bryan Singer told Variety,, "Harvey created a concept and pride for a disenfranchised group at a point in history when the world was in upheaval, and he paid the highest price for it."

http://movies.about.com/od/moviesinproduction/a/mayor050605.htm

I know this is WAY old news but I'm just so excited about it that I have to tell everyone. "The Mayor of Castro Street" and all of Shilts' books have been quite an inspiration to me and I've read each of them over 10 times. IMDB says that this film won't be out until 2008 but I've heard that it will be in theatres in February 2007.

What an odd choice to do the movie though.

Hopefully this will be a major release and will be a movie everyone feels they have to see like Fahrenheit 9/11 and (doh!) The Passion of the Christ.

[Athelwulf]

1. Man, I'm gonna see it for sure

I haven't read the book. Should I do so before I see the movie?

[Moloch]

2. Well...

I haven't seen the movie but I would recommend anybody who is or is not gay to read that book and familiarize themselves with Harvey Milk and his story. In my mind he ranks up there with Martin Luther King, Jr. as a pioneering civil rights activist and progressive hero of the 20th century.

If you are interested in gay history at all you should definately check out all of Randy Shilts' books. They are amazing.

[Athelwulf]

3. I think I'll do that

I suppose, as a homosexual, I should know specifics about my people's history. I've never heard of Harvey Milk (blame my being educated in a small, conservative town), and if he's as great as you say he is, then I can stop wondering where our MLK Jr is. :)

[Moloch]

4. Awesome!

and if you like that book, I'd like to recommend Shilts' others:

And The Band Played On is a phenomenal book about the first years of the AIDS epidemic, its impact and the extent to which the Reagan administration DID NOT CARE one bit because gay people and addicts were dying. It's my personal favorite book and is widely considered to be the best gay non-fiction book out there. They made a movie of it a while back but that sucked, I would definately recommend reading the book on this one.

Conduct Unbecoming is a history of gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. There are some amazing stories here, too.

[Athelwulf]

6. I saw that movie in health class in high school

Thinking about it now, I'm glad the teacher showed it.

[EFerrari]

5. I was in City Hall when all this happened.

Translating and didn't hear anything as it was a different floor. Then, had to run out and catch a bus to my next gig. But, by the time i went to my next stop at the Hall of Justice, the cops had it on their radio.

This city was like a morgue for months after. It was like the whole town knew, there goes our heart.

I don't know about the rest of the country. But we loved Harvey Milk. Even us straight commuters did because he was real.

[ronnykmarshall]

8. I was in high school.

I remember watching Ch 4 (KNBC Los Angeles) and seeing Diane announcing Harvey and George's deaths. She looked like she was in shock. I still get chills when I see that clip. "JESUS CHRIST" ... the shock from press was chilling.

[EFerrari]

9. I was 19. And didn't know from the battle gay folk had on their hands

But Harvey was just like that. People loved him.

[ronnykmarshall]

7. Finally!

There was talk about this back in the late 1980's when I first moved to SF.

At one point they talked about Robin Williams as Harvey.

[meegbear]

10. I remember hearing that ...

and that was the last thing I heard about the project. Great to hear it's on. Maybe I'll fly to SF to see it in the Castro theatre.

[adamblast]

11. Although I never met Harvey...

...I knew of him and was following his political career, with hope and interest, as a gay teen living a few hours south of SF. When he was murdered I hopped on a greyhound to join in the candlelight vigil. Pictures of that night still make me cry up a storm.

And speaking of storms: I missed the riots that happened after the trial, but I sure remember the anger. I was ready to march and shout too.

[Touchdown]

12. There was a TV Movie about Milk made.

Peter Coyote (E.T. , Deadwood, Lost, Commander in Chief) played Milk, and Tim Daly (Wings) played Dan White, his assailant. For a TV movie, it wasn't bad.

Execution of Justice... usually makes the cable rounds in June during pride. EDIT: It was made for Showtime, so that's where I saw it. Wasn't nearly as good as HBO's film about the Wansee Conference with Tucci & Branagh...Conspiracy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0176705/

Bryan Singer is gay (he autographed my X-Men DVD, and he's gorgeous!), so he should being some sensitivity to it as he has with Apt Pupil (gay subtext, or co-dependancy, whatever), and X-Men (social outcasts). I love Usual Suspects.