Mysteries of Pittsburgh -- somewhat de-gayed -- heads to big screen

AfterElton reader Franq brought it to our attention that a film adaptation of Michael Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, is headed for the big screen this year. The film is written and directed by Randall Marshal Thurber (who's previous major credit is Dogeball!) and stars Peter Sarsgaard, Mena Suvari and Sienna Miller. You may recall that Sienna Miller got into some hot water last year while filming on location in Pittsburgh. In an interview she referred to the town as "Shi**burgh," which didn't exactly endear her to the locals. But regarding the movie itself: According to Franq (who has read the script), the film version differs substantially from the novel in that it entirely dispenses with the book's gay character, Arthur LeComte. The loss of the gay character is somewhat surprising and a little disheartening. Franq has even organized an online petition to boycott the film when it comes out later this year. It should be noted that Chabon himself signed off on the changes to his story. The man is a genius and I guess I trust his storytelling judgement enough to take a wait and see attitude about the film. My thinking is, even if the movie is significantly de-gayed, at least it will get a new generation to read the novel on which it is based-- which is a truly wonderful piece of literature. For more information about how the movie's screenplay differs from the original novel, this review/comparison is helpful.