Bianca Del Rio is storming Hollywood again…
The 47-year-old Cuban and Honduran American drag queen, comedian, actor, costume designer and former RuPaul’s Drag Race winner will return for a third movie in the Hurricane Bianca franchise.
Del Rio, the stage name of Roy R. Haylock, will star alongside Willam Belli, Rachel Dratch, Thora Birch, Drag Race fan favorite Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and Doug Plaut.
Hurricane Bianca: The Roots of All Evil, which is due to shoot in early 2023, is written and directed by Matt Kugelman.
The film will see Richard Martinez (Del Rio) return home to Florida for his beloved grandmother’s funeral. There, he is lured back into a decades-old feud with his mother who owns a homophobic fast-food chain restaurant, and so decides to go undercover as Bianca Del Rio to put his mother out of business. With the help of his chosen family, he embarks on an adventure exposing corruption, confronting cults and healing relationships.
Tony nominee Dratch returns as the villainous Vice Principal Debbie Ward and Plaut reprises his role as Bianca’s ditzy friend, Rex. Birch will be playing the role of the mesmerizing cult leader, Mary. Vanjie (aka Miss Vanjie) is playing the role of Bianca’s cousin, Antonio. Former Drag Race contestant Belli returns as Bailey. Additional casting is underway.
The screenplay comes from Kugelman, Derek Hartley and Nicole Gemma.
Hurricane Bianca (which also starred Alan Cumming and RuPaul) and sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate (which also starred Wanda Sykes and Jeaneane Garofalo) both aired on Netflix.
“I’m so excited to be working with this dream team. Bianca is back! Willam is back! And I am elated to introduce Miss Vanjie into Bianca’s family. These are the funniest people I’ve ever met playing these incredibly lovable characters, and then we get to add the amazing Thora Birch into the mix as we’ve never seen her before: An eccentric villain! I cannot wait to share this adventure with the world!” said Kugelman.
“Hurricane Bianca fans around the world will be pleased with this hilarious and timely sequel that is both commercially viable and continually stays true to its core messaging and artistic integrity. Today’s audiences are ready to embrace films that bridge the gap between mainstream and LGBTQ markets. The late Ash Christian who produced the first two films, was always a champion of LGBTQ filmmakers and believed in Matt Kugelman’s vision and talent from day one. Ash will be deeply missed during this next journey and he is always with us in spirit,” commented producer Kimberly Montini of Cranium Entertainment.
“Audiences from all over the world will connect with this film, being a universal beacon of light for anyone facing adversity. As a big fan of Hurricane Bianca films, this new sequel raises the bar to new heights. We couldn’t be more excited to kickstart BLKBX Originals’ endeavors with a film people from all over can relate to with laughter at the heart of it all,” noted producer Frank Donner of BLKBX Originals.