“Stop! That! Train!” isn’t just something RuPaul regularly tells his judge’s panel, it’s also the name of the first-ever movie in the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” extended universe.
The feature film stars “RPDR” royalty Jujubee, Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Symone, Marcia Marcia Marcia (aka Marty Lauter), Monét X Change, Latrice Royale and Ru herself, as well as dozens of past guest judges and LGBTQ icons. Ahead of the June 12 premiere, producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato told TheWrap all about bringing their reality TV juggernaut to the big screen.
“You read a lot about people not going to the movies these days. Yet, when people do go to the movies, it’s a fun experience, like ‘Barbie.’ You realize what fun the movies can be and how life-affirming that experience can be to see something with an audience and just have fun,” Bailey said. “You know, these are kind of dark times and this kind of crazy, stupid fun we need more of.”
“It’s not just the people who will come to the theater to have fun, but it’s all the people who have joined forces to make this movie. They’re all part of the community. There’s a cast of 35 amazing people in this movie, and they’re part of the movie, not because they got a huge paycheck — I’ll assure you that — but because they love the script, they love the world, they’re part of the community that wants to bring joy out into the theaters,” Barbato added. “It’s the little movie that could, because, in many ways, it’s a fiercely independent project, but it is studio-ready. We know that it delivers the laughs and it’s going to not just make our community happy, but I think people who’ve never dipped their toe in the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ pool.’”
In addition to its drag queen leads, “Stop! That! Train!” features a star-studded cast that includes Matt Rogers, Lisa Rinna, Jerry O’Connell, Rachel Bloom, Chris Parnell, Drew Droege, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Riki Lindhome, Nicole Richie, Nicole Sullivan, Paul Scheer, Natasha Leggero, Joel McHale and, of course, Michelle Visage and Charo, just to name a few.
“One of the many great things about it is this incredible cast of thousands, and it is a loving tribute to the original disaster era,” Bailey shared. “Most of pop culture is totally queer, totally gay. It always has been. But now, there’s going to be living proof of it in the movie theaters in June.”
“The queens who are starring in the film are incredible actors. That was the No. 1 criteria, especially for our director. They’re not really playing queens in the movie, they’re acting. So the top priority was their acting chops and, of course, they’re all queens we love so much,” Barbato further noted. “The rest of the cast of the film is just people who we love and adore, and who almost all have comedy chops: June Diane Raphael, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Missi Pyle, Raven-Symoné; people who we’re obsessed with and people who know how to act and know how to make us laugh.”
The World of Wonder duo also referenced “The Naked Gun,” “The Poseidon Adventure” and “Airplane!” as inspiration for their slapstick send-up with Bleecker Street. Still, we’re all in safe hands with the “A Walk to Remember” and “Hairspray” director behind the wheel.
“When it comes to ‘Stop! That! Train!’ there were two secrets: One is, we had a great studio director, Adam Shankman, who also understands the indie spirit, and he rolled up his sleeves and delivered; and then the second thing is, we have a history of being thrifty queens and indie queens from the beginning of time,” Barbato explained. “I mean, especially Ru. Look at Ru’s Instagram right now, we’ve always been thrifty and we’ve always known how to turn out on a dime and and that’s what we did here.”
Plus, starting Tuesday, the World of Wonder team is even offering a Fandango special where users can get a free three-month subscription to WOW Presents Plus if they purchase their tickets in advance.
“It’s been a dream to make this totally bonkers movie that we can turn America onto with President Gagwell, finally, a president you can trust,” Barbato said in conclusion.
“Stop! That! Train!” crashes into theaters on June 12.
The post ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Wants You to Have Fun at the Movies Again, Whether You Watch ‘Drag Race’ or Not appeared first on TheWrap.
