Billy Porter will make his directorial debut on “What If?” at the newly relaunched Orion Pictures, the company announced on Wednesday.
Alvaro García Lecuona wrote the script.
The logline for “What If?” is as follows: “When high school senior Khal posts on r/relationships about his crush on Kelsa, a trans girl at his school, the internet encourages him to go for it. What follows is a modern coming-of-age story with the fun of ‘Booksmart’ and the heart of ‘Love Simon’ as the two navigate a high school senior year relationship that neither could have expected.”
“I’m thrilled to be part of this new space in Hollywood for telling all types of stories from all types of people,” Porter said in a statement to TheWrap. “I am grateful to be in a position to usher some of these stories into the mainstream and I am humbled that heavy hitters like Christine Vachon and Alana Mayo have entrusted and empowered me in this insane time we all find ourselves in.”
The film will be produced by Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa via their Killer Films along with Andrew Lauren and D.J. Gugenheim on behalf of Andrew Lauren Production. “What If?” marks the first film under MGM and Killer Films first-look deal.
The deal was brokered in a competitive situation by Endeavor Content’s Deb McIntosh and Abe Bengio, and with David Boyle and Bethany Haynes on behalf of ALP and Killer respectively.
Billy Porter is an award-winning actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright. In 2019, Porter won the Emmy Award for Lead Actor for his appearance in FX’s Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated drama “Pose” and in 2020 received his second Emmy nomination for this role. Porter also has numerous theater credits, including the role of Lola in the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots,” which he originated in 2013 and for which he won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, as well as the Grammy for best musical-theatre album.
Billy Porter is represented by CAA and Industry Entertainment. García Lecuona is represented by APA and Vision Entertainment.