Hungry for a new GL series to binge? You may not have to wait for too long. Janine Gutierrez and Lovi Poe have paired up for the brand new show “Sleep With Me” and it’s about to start rolling.
Production company Project 8 Projects shared a photo from the show’s virtual table read on Feb. 3. The show is slated for release in the first half of 2022.
Apart from the leads, writer and director Samantha Lee (“Billie and Emma,” “Baka Bukas”) as well as producer Dan Villegas were present. The official cast roster hasn’t been announced yet, but we did spy newcomers Nour Hooshmand, Reign Parani, Kerwin King, and Enzo Almario among the attendees.
According to ABS-CBN, “Sleep With Me” follows the story of an interabled queer female romance between a radio DJ who uses a wheelchair and a girl with a sleep disorder. While it hasn’t been announced who’s playing which character, the leads have revealed that the name of Poe’s character is Luna while Gutierrez’s is Harry.
Considering the number of themes the show’s narrative will include, does the team recognize the importance of responsible representation? Showrunner Lee said about the story in an interview released last January, “Without spoiling anything, I think Janine and Lovi’s characters both have their own set of issues they deal with that makes them excluded from society at large. Parang it’s people whose stories don’t get told a lot.”
Gutierrez added, “The story really is something that I don’t think has been shown in the Filipino setting. I’m so excited for people to learn more about this topic and alam kong madaming makakarelate. At the core, it’s a love story na talagang you’ll get attached to.”
When asked whether “Sleep With Me” includes steamy scenes as the title seemingly suggests, Lee answered, “I don’t think I would describe it as steamy. It will be something that I’m going to do for the first time. Being that it’s me, I wanted to integrate other things like consent and how you navigate these types of situations when it’s two women.”
The series is a collaboration between Project 8 Projects, Dreamscape Entertainment, and iWantTFC. It marks both the actresses’ second teleseryes as Kapamilya artists.
It’s an exciting project and it’s worth noting that Gutierrez is a vocal ally and this isn’t Poe’s first queer role. But we can’t help but wonder when we’ll be able to see a show like this star actual individuals with disabilities from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Photo courtesy of Janine Gutierrez’s Instagram
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