Today, it's been announced that Focus Features has scooped up the worldwide rights to BOY ERASED, a coming-of-age drama based on the novel A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley. Spearheaded by famed writer/director Joel Edgerton, BOY ERASED will star Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges (MANCHESTER BY THE SEA), in addition to Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman.
BOY ERASED will tell the story of Jared (Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) at age 19. Jared is quickly pressured into attending a gay conversion therapy program – or else be shunned by his family, friends, and church. It is within the program that Jared comes into conflict with its head therapist (Edgerton).
When commenting on the upcoming film project, Joel Edgerton stated that he's, "excited to work with an ensemble of actors, seasoned and new, to bring Garrard’s story to the screen." He additionally commented that he thinks, "Focus is the perfect partner on this, and I will always thank Garrard for trusting my passion for his life story. I can’t think of a better reason to get behind the camera again.”
Joel Edgerton and Anonymous Content’s Kerry Kohansky-Roberts and Steve Golin, an Academy Award-winning producer of Best Picture Oscar winner SPOTLIGHT. Executive-producing the film are Rebecca Yeldham, Ann Ruark, and Anonymous Content’s Kim Hodgert and Tony Lipp. Josh McLaughlin, who was recently promoted to Focus president of production, will supervise the project for the company.
It's also to note that Focus Features was honored in 2012 by the Point Foundation, the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, with its Point Inspiration Award, given to a company or organization that promotes respect and inclusion of the LGBT community and operates with the vision that investing in today’s potential will produce a brighter tomorrow.
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski also lent his voice to the comments regarding BOY ERASED by saying that, “Garrard’s story is both timely and timeless, both personal and universal. It is a story which will not only deeply move people, but one that we hope will change outlooks. We are thrilled to work once again with Joel, and with the Anonymous Content team. These filmmakers’ passion for this heart-rending project speaks to all of us at Focus, and to why we make the movies we do.”
No release date has been set for BOY ERASED, though if you're interested, you can view some of Focus Features' other Academy Award-winning LGBT-themed films like BEGINNERS, DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB, THE DANISH GIRL, MILK, and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN which are available on Digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray formats right now.