Joel Kim Booster gives an update on what is holding up a ‘Fire Island’ sequel

After the movie came out, Searchlight and Hulu were interested [in a sequel]. If I had come out of the movie with a great idea for how this story would continue, that would be one thing, but I’m not going to force a story. Think about successful comedy romcom sequels — there aren’t a lot.

I didn’t want to make ‘Legally Blonde 2‘. People think they want a sequel, and then they’ll be confronted with something that will sully the memory of the first one and at best be forgotten about.

I don’t want to become ‘the adaptation guy’. I need [to do] a couple of movies before I do it again. But I’m obsessed with Shakespeare adaptations. I’d love to do ‘Much Ado About Nothing‘, it’s my favorite.

I don’t know that it [Fire Island] changed the landscape [of representation]. It means a lot to the people that it means a lot to. I always appreciate hearing from those people. It will always be a huge part of the conversation around me and my legacy, or whatever.

‘Fire Island‘ came out at a time of a movement of not only representation on screen, but behind it as well. I made a very Asian-focused movie because I’m Asian, and that’s the story that I wanted to tell, populated by people who could connect to that story. The real lesson to take away is that the representation behind the camera matters just as much if not more than on camera.

Ultimately, peeling back every layer of representation, I wanted to star in a movie alongside one of my best friends, Bowen Yang. I felt like that would never happen if we waited for the industry to present us with an opportunity.

Joel Kim Booster speaking to Attitude on why he’s in no rush to make a ‘Fire Island’ sequel despite its cultural impact.