NEWS

In one of the more unlikely stories of the year, it appears that 14 years after he died, Oscar-winning actor may become a screenwriter. However while Gielgud was known for his Shakespearean roles on stage and for starring in the likes of The Elephant Man, Arthur and Gandhi, his script that may go into production is for a gay porn film.

The Guardian reports the news, saying the Gielgud originally wrote the script for ‘grandfather of gay porn’ Peter De Rome to make. De Rome started making erotic 8mm films in the 1960s for his friends, but they found a larger audience during the ‘porn chic’ era when several of them were gathered together into a collection released in cinemas.

In recent years his contribution to both gay porn and gay cinema has started to be appreciated, such as the BFI’s release of The Erotic Films Of Peter De Rome, and the documentary Peter De Rome: The Grandfather Of Gay Porn. He sadly died in June.

Gielgud was amongst the director’s friend, and according to Peter De Rome: The Grandfather Of Gay Porn producer, David McGillivray, “Peter de Rome knew everybody when he was working, including John Gielgud, and John was so impressed with Peter’s work – which of course was porn – that he wrote Peter a screenplay. Nobody knows anything about this script, it’s not in the John Gielgud letters, it’s not mentioned in the biographies, it’s an unknown script. John Gielgud’s only screenplay. So next year, we are going to make that.

“It’s called Trouser Bar. John Gielgud was obsessed with trousers, loved corduroy and leather. And so he wrote a film set in a menswear shop.”

Kristen Bjorn, known as the director of a more traditional type of gay porn than De Rome’s sexy but idiosyncratic efforts, is set to helm Trouser Bar.

There are issues though, as McGillivray says, “The John Gielgud estate is furious. They won’t let us do it, but they don’t have a leg to stand on. So they’re going to be very upset about this, but we’ve got the BFI behind us.” (However it should be noted that the BFI says they’re not involved in the movie).

Gielgud never actually came out, but by the end of his life it was commonly known that he was gay. He had actually been prosecuted for ‘lewd acts’ in 1953 after being caught cruising in a Chelsea public toilet. However rather than ruining his career, the incident was hidden away and few people knew about it while the actor’s career continued to flourish over the following decades.