Billy Porter Is An Inspirational Icon; Leslie Odom Jr. Set For ‘Knives Out 2’; Michaela Coel Expands ‘I May Destroy You’ Universe

As Pose comes to an end Emmy-winner Billy Porter has officially reached legendary status — if he hasn’t already. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter he shared his story of being HIV-positive. If there is any interview you read this week, read this one. It will move, inspire and make you respect Porter even more than you already do.

“There’s happiness, yes; there’s surface joy, but there was also a feeling of dread, all day, every day,” Porter told THR. “It wasn’t a fear that [my status] was going to come out or that somebody was going to expose me; it was just the shame that it had happened in the first place. And as a Black person, particularly a Black man on this planet, you have to be perfect or you will get killed. But look at me. Yes, I am the statistic, but I’ve transcended it. This is what HIV-positive looks like now.”

Other news from the trades and beyond:

• Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. is the latest A-list to join Rian Johnson’s mystery romp Knives Out 2 which includes a stacked cast with names like Janelle Monae and Dave Bautista.
• Queen Michaela Coel has something in the works at BBC that is supposedly expanding the brilliance of I May Destroy You — but she is keeping it hush-hush for now.
• In the latest installment of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos saga, Lewis Colick, the screenwriter for the upcoming film about the discovery of the stoner snack, defended that Richard Montañez invented the Frito-Lay product despite the Los Angeles Times article that said otherwise. Things are getting spicy.
• Crazy Rich Asians leading man and Snake Eyes action hero Henry Golding has inked a two-year first-look film and television development and production deal with SK Global.
• There isn’t a better person to remake Tony Scott’s 1983 erotic vampire horror The Hunger than Angela Robinson (Professor Marston & the Wonder Women). Jessica Sharzer will write the script and the film will be produced by Berlanti Schechter’s Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The original starred Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Start your POC cast wish list now.
• RIP to comedy trailblazer Paul Mooney.
• Dwayne Johnson isn’t busy enough so he is set to voice the canine character Krypto the Superdog in Warner Bros’ upcoming animated feature DC League of Super-Pets.
• Jayln Hall (All American) and Amir O’Neil (Marlon) are set to star in Disney+’s forthcoming The Crossover, a pilot based on the bestselling Newbery Award-winning author, poet and educator Kwame Alexander — who made the announcement on Twitter.

• Also posting news on social media about projects, gay icon and immortal diva herself Cher (who just turned a youthful 75) announced that she will be teaming with Universal, Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth and Mamma Mia’s Judy Craymer for a movie about her life. Also, let’s not forget that Cher appeared in the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

• Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) has joined the cast of of Disney+ coming-of-age sci-fi adventure Crater.
• Lil Rel Howery has joined Stephan James, Uzo Aduba, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeffrey Donovan, and J.K. Simmons in the STXfilms sports drama National Champions directed by Ric Roman Waugh and based on the play by Adam Mervis.
• The HBO limited series We Own This City has added Jamie Hector to the cast which also includes Jon Bernthal and Josh Charles. The limited series comes from The Wire’s EP David Simon and producer George Pelecanos and is based on Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton’s book “We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption”.
• SHANTAY YOU STAY. RuPaul’s Drag Race was the top winner at the inaugural MTV Movie & TV Awards unscripted ceremony. Read the complete list of winners here.