Queer as Folk reboot: Remake of iconic show to tackle 'gay rights, anger, and joy'

Bravo is working on a reboot of the celebrated show, which premiered in 1999 in the UK

A Queer as Folk reboot is in the works at Bravo – meaning a new version of the iconic show is in development almost 20 years after it premiered in the UK before travelling to the other side of the Atlantic.

Russell T Davies, who created the original UK series, is attached to the project as an executive producer, Variety reported.

Queer as Folk aired for 10 episodes on Channel 4 before being adapted in the US and in Canada, where it had five seasons between 2000 and 2005.

Here is everything we know about the remake in development at Bravo so far:

The plot

The UK version of Queer as Folk focused on the lives of three gay men – Stuart Alan Jones (Aidan Gillen), Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly), and Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam) – living in Manchester.

The Canadian-American version had a similar set-up, though it was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gale Harold starred as Brian Kinney, Randy Harrison played Justin Taylor, and Hal Sparks appeared as Michael Novotny.

The new version of Queer as Folk will have entirely new characters and a different setting. A location has yet to be announced.

It is being billed as "a modern take on the original British series that centres on a group of club-going friends who find support in the gay community following a tragedy," according to Variety.

The team

No casting announcements have been made yet – the news that a reboot is in development broke on Tuesday.

But in addition to Davies (who has recently worked on the Golden-Globe-nominated A Very English Scandal), Stephen Dunn, 29, a Canadian director and writer, is attached to the project as a writer, executive producer, and director.

Davies told The Guardian Dunn, "inflamed" by the current news cycle (including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, and the election of Donald Trump), approached him asking why there was no modern version of the show to address recent events.

“He wants to make a very new, very accessible show. He had a bit of anger of the world and the status of things," Davies said of Dunn.

“He didn't come to the meeting saying I think this [show] is really commercial. He came in genuinely as a gay man talking about gay rights, the state of the world, the anger that is out there and the joy.”

Red Production Company, which produced the original British version, is also among the executive producers.

The network

Bravo, a cable network that belongs to NBCUniversal, is responsible for some immensely popular franchises such as The Real Houswives, Top Chef, Vanderpump Rules and Dirty John.

The network is strongly associated with producer and host Andy Cohen, who hosts the late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and executive produces The Real Housewives franchise.