The mini-series adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City is one of the iconic slices of LGBT entertainment in the US. The 1992 six-part show spawned two follow-ups, More Tales of the City in 1998, and Further Tales of the City in 2001. However, since then our screens have been devoid of the adventures of Mary Ann Singleton, Anna Madrigal, Michael Tolliver and co..
That looks like it’s changing though, as Deadline reports that Netflix is working on a revival of the San Francisco-set series. It won’t be a reboot either, as original stars Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis are both attached to star. It’s not clear if any of the other original actors will be back.
There’s certainly plenty of material for the show, as Maupin has written a total on nine ‘Tales’ novels, including three since the last mini-series aired in 2001. The newer books have focussed on the characters two decades on from the previous instalments, contrasting a San Francisco that was vibrant but suffering in the midst of the AIDS crisis, with the city in the 21st Century, when HIV has become a manageable condition (including for lead gay character Michael Tolliver), but many other things have changed.
It would also be interesting if it includes material the final book, The Days of Anna Madrigal, which includes her as a 92-year-old looking back on her teenage life as Andy, the son of a brothel owner in Nevada.
It appears that it’s very early days for the revival, but we’ll have to cross our fingers that it doesn’t get stuck in development hell and we see it on Netflix soon.
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