The story of a firefighter who risks it all to become a ballroom dancer…
Oh, sure, that sounds like a scenario we’ve fantasized about, but that sounds way too good to be true, right?
Wrong! Today it was announced that this very real story has inspired an upcoming gay rom-com set in the competitive ballroom scene, and it’s already shaping up to be the movie of our dreams.
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The Light Fantastic is set in the charming British seaside town of Blackpool, where a gay, thirty-something firefighter named Jason decides to take a (literal) leap of faith into the world of dance, beginning his training under the guidance of an “ultra-traditional” instructor.
Scripted by actor-writer Lee Warburton (Banana, Shameless), the film is seemingly loosely inspired by real-life firefighter Rob Lem who, in 2022, made local Blackpool headlines when he momentarily left the firehouse to compete in the British dance championships in the classical category.
“You could say that in both ballroom and firefighting, you have to be light on your feet,” he joked at the time.
We say The Light Fantastic is “loosely inspired” by Lem’s story because it doesn’t appear that he’s gay himself. But Warburton and director Chris Cottam (The Problem With People, Nikki Fre$h) seem to have found a fresh angle, one that doesn’t appear to be about coming out as much as it is pursuing your passion and defying expectations.
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Notably, James will be played by the hunky Jeremy Irvine, who has quite a track record with queer-focused projects: There’s the good (stirring literary biopic Benediction), the bad (Roland Emmerich’s absolute misfire of an LGBTQ+ history lesson, Stonewall), and the outrageously camp (Mamma Mia Here We Go Again, a perfect film).
At the very least, we know Irvine can deliver on the fireman physique—and we knows he’s got the moves:
As for Jason’s demanding mentor, Reynolds, he’ll be portrayed by none other than Rupert Everett. The actor’s career has seen some major highs (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and lows (The Next Best Thing, opposite his former friend Madonna), and he’s maintained he never became a bigger star specifically because he made the brave decision to come out in 1989.
Still, Everett’s quite the trailblazer in that regard, and we’re always happy to see him on screen all these years later. And, hey, maybe the role of a bitter queen who nevertheless has something to teach the younger generation of gays will suit him perfectly?
We digress! Variety reports The Light Fantastic will also co-star Femme‘s Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Bad Education‘s Layton Williams. Considering the film is described as a rom-com, we imagine one—or both???—could be playing a love interest to Irvine’s James. We would like to see it!
Behind the scenes, the film boasts choreography from mother-son duo Shirley and Mark Ballas, who are both legends in the world of dance. Shirley’s a world champion performer who has served as the head judge of the U.K.’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2017, while her son is a longtime pro on Dancing With The Stars, who has been paired with everyone from Kim Kardashian to Candace Cameron Bure. We’re sure he has some stories…
“The Light Fantastic is a funny, uplifting, musical rom-com about the power of dance to make real change,” producer Debbie Gray says in a press statement. “It is centered around the importance of love and acceptance in the face of bigotry, hate and fear, promising to be a glorious and upbeat film that will have everyone singing along and tapping their feet.”
As Variety reports, the film is set to go into production in early 2025, so it’ll like be a while until we can see Rupert Everett & company bust out their fancy footwork. Let’s just hope they all do some stretching in the meantime!
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