World cinema LGBT-themed movies rarely get English-language remakes and it’s even rarer for Hollywood to put one into development. However that’s what’s happening with the charming gay-themed Swedish movie, Patrik Age 1.5, which THR reports has been picked up by Fox 2000 (the indie arm of 20th Century Fox) for an American do-over.
They’ve hired Allan Loeb to come up with screenplay. He’s previously written the likes of 21, Here Comes The Boom, Rock of Ages, The Dilemma and Just Go With It. Laurence Mark (I, Robot for Fox) and Nigel Sinclair (End of Watch) will produce. The US version will be called Patrick 1.5.
Ella Lemhagen’s 2008 film is about a gay couple who are thrilled to be told they’ll be adopting an 18-month-old son. However it turns out that the decimal point was in the wrong place, as rather than the kid being 1.5, he’s actually 15. Not only that, he’s a bit of a delinquent who’s openly homophobic.
As THR points out, gay parenting has been largely ignored by mainstream cinema, even while it’s become an increasingly hot button topic in the public consciousness. However films such as The Kids Are All Right – which grossed $35 million worldwide on a $4 million budget – shows there is an audience out there for well-made movies about the subject.