Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sequel confirmed: ‘Give RuPaul a run for her money’
A sequel to the classic queer comedy, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert has been greenlit and queer cinema is so back.
The extravagant gay road comedy’s director, Stephen Elliot, confirmed that the 1994 film is to receive a sequel, complete with key members of the original cast.
Starring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sees two drag queens and a trans woman travel across rural Australia to a cabaret show, meeting several interesting characters along the way.
It received critical acclaim upon release and has became one of the biggest queer movies of its time, grossing over $29 million at the box office.
News that a sequel was being discussed was first revealed on Friday (19 April) after Elliot confirmed to Deadline that the film was real and would feature “one helluva journey.”
“The original cast is on board, I’ve got a script that everybody likes, we’re still working out deals … It’s happening.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Elliot, who is set to return as director, confirmed that the script is complete and that the project is currently at the negotiation stage.
“People have been screaming for me to do this for 30 years,” Elliot said. “And suddenly, I had the realisation that we’re getting old. We’re losing people.”
He explained that the decision to bring the chaotic queer film back was in part due to the upcoming 2024 US election and the possibility of Republican candidate Donald Trump securing a new term.
“It’s all about to erupt again,” he said. “Somebody said to me, ‘Is this the right time to make this film?’ I said, ‘It is the perfect time to make this film’.”
Elliot went on to say that, much like the original film which he said was a “dagger in the heart,” he hopes that this will become an important and iconic part of queer cinema.
“This is not a dire story, it’s pretty extravagant,” he said. “I’m going to give RuPaul a run for her money, let me tell you that.”
