An 'L Word' movie is in the making

July 29, 11:27 PMBisexuality ExaminerMike Szymanski

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Mia Kirschner played the bisexual Jenny on "The L Word"

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of the biggest money-making female-driven movie ever, "Sex and the City," there's confirmation that a big screen version of "The L Word" is in the making.

"L Word" creator Ilene Chaiken confirmed over the weekend that she is in the process of writing a movie based on the runaway hit with predominantly lesbian characters.

AfterEllen.com reporter Trish Bendix broke the story when Chaiken discussed the movie possibility online on Saturday (July 25). She said: "Movie is in scripting process." 

The show lasted six seasons starting in 2004 and ended this year and focused on characters who were lesbian, bisexual and transgendered living in the West Hollywood area. Pam Grier, Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig were among the cast.

Actress Laurel Holloman, playing a character who was bisexual on the show, is out as bisexual in real-life, and she is married to a man. Her character, Tina, however, became more and more a lesbian as the show went on, and rarely discussed her bisexuality.

Jenny Schecter, the show's staunchly out bisexual character, played by Mia Kirshner, was actually killed off in the show, although it's not clear who murdered her. Then, there's Alice, the flaky bisexual.

Cybill Shepherd also played a bisexual character, Phyllis, who left her longtime marriage to fall for a woman. And, there were other depictions of bisexuality in the show.

I've interviewed Jennifer Beals many times (mostly for magazines and in my book, not online, but click here are a few), and she's thrilled that people think she may be bisexual after watching the show and seeing her character. (She's been married twice.) And yes, she told me, "I think everyone has the capacity to be bisexual, or have feelings for either sex, if they're really honest with themselves. I mean, I thought I knew all about that and was pretty hip to all that, but being involved in the show opened me up to understanding it all a bit more."

It's not clear what characters will make it to the big screen version, but some major questions will be answered. And, "The L Word" may have not always been responsible for clearing misconceptions about bisexuality, but it certainly brought out a lot of issues concerning the subject, even more than "Sex and the City" did.

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