Bowen Yang was an immediate sensation on Saturday Night Live, becoming the show’s biggest breakout star in years. And like other SNL MVPs before him, including Kristen Wiig and Eddie Murphy, he’s transitioning to the big screen, beginning with Fire Island.
Directed by Andrew Ahn, Fire Island follows two best friends, played by Yang and writer Joel Kim Booster, during a summer trip to Long Island’s Fire Island, the site of one of the oldest queer communities in the United States. The comedy is inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, particularly the author’s “observations about the way people are awful to each other without being awful to each other,” Kim Booster told Vanity Fair. “I was like, oh, my God. This is shade. This is what gay men do all the time.”
Set in the iconic Pines, Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island is an unapologetic, modern day rom-com showcasing a diverse, multicultural examination of queerness and romance. Inspired by the timeless pursuits from Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, the story centers around two best friends (Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang) who set out to have a legendary summer adventure with the help of cheap rosé and their cadre of eclectic friends.
Bowen Yang is an Australian-born American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer based in New York City. He co-hosts a comedy pop-culture podcast, Las Culturistas, with Matt Rogers. He also posts pop-culture lip-syncing videos on Twitter. Since September 2018, he has been on the writing staff of Saturday Night Live.
Joel Kim Booster is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents stand-up special.
Fire Island premieres on Hulu on June 3rd.
