• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign Paid Alt-Right Pal Milo Yiannopoulos Nearly $50k For Consulting After Being Blindsided By $116k Bill
  • James Dean & Marlon Brando’s Alleged Affair Revealed After Casting Agent Exposes Rendezvous With Hollywood Stars
  • Unearthed: Late Lisa Marie Presley Blames Scientology For Michael Jackson Divorce — ‘They Made Sure That I Left Him’

The Powerful and Sexy Gay Short Film ‘DARE’ is Back for a Sequel 15 Years Later — with the Very Same Cast: WATCH

Andy Towle September 17, 2019 Leave a Comment

dareproject
DARE‘s Johnny and Ben, then and now.

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK

The gay short film DARE made a huge impression on audiences in 2004 with its story of Ben (Adam Fleming) and Johnny (Michael Cassidy), lustful teen crushes, and forbidden gay love in high school. DARE played over 50 film fests, was released as the lead film on gay short DVD compilations around the world, and then eventually became a Sundance feature.

Now, writer and producer David Brind and director Adam Salky have done something unprecedented. They’ve brought back the very same cast and creative team from the original short film 15 years later for THE DARE PROJECT, a continuation of Ben and Johnny’s story. And we’ve got an exclusive first look at the trailer.

Here’s the original 16-minute short film, for those who haven’t seen it or want a refresher.

video
play-rounded-fill
Link
typorama 6 copy

Writer and producer David Brind spoke to Towleroad about the origins of the 2004 film, and the decision to try and put together a sequel. In THE DARE PROJECT (trailer below), Ben and Johnny, now in their early 30s fortuitously run into each other at a party in Los Angeles after not seeing each other since high school. Is their connection still alive, and what do they do about it?

“When I first wrote the DARE short in film school in 2003, I had no f**king clue what I was doing,” said Brind. “My professor told me to write from the heart and the gut. So I wrote about ‘Johnny.’ Everyone in the world has their own ‘Johnny,’ the elusive one that seemed untouchable, that made you feel so intensely you thought you would die. ‘Johnny’ existed for me. Though there was no blowjob or swimming pool. There was, however, champagne and Parliaments, and a spinning, swirling perfect kiss with the most beautiful rebel bad boy ever. And that’s where DARE comes from.”

David Brind
David brind

“I wasn’t Ben,” Brind added. “I was a closeted (sort of?) popular kid. But there was play practice. I was the star, he was in the chorus because he got kicked off soccer for smoking. And a sleepover after. This experience was mind-blowing for me. Not because I was fetishizing the straight guy—though that’s a real thing. But because for the first time in my life, I believed that connection with someone I desired was possible. That even if it ended here with ‘Johnny,’ something else unexpected would arise. It gave me hope. Thrill. Excitement. And yes, a bit of sadness.”

Brind said that after understanding the fan base that the original DARE had developed over the years, he decided to try and continue the story he had begun.

“15 years later, I decided to revisit this world with THE DARE PROJECT,” Brind added. “Our legions of fans—13.5M views on YouTube while being suppressed from search by them, but that’s another story—demanded a sequel. They wrote Instagram messages. Like Jack from a small village in Ireland. Jack is 17. He’s gay. He’s suicidal. He wrote to tell me that he watches DARE over and over when he’s feeling like he doesn’t want to live. Because it brings him hope. And that’s more worthwhile than any Netflix or HBO deal could ever bring me.”

2 dareproject

Of the sequel, Brind added, “Ben isn’t 17 anymore. And he’s a lot more like me now. He’s good at what he does. He’s successful in his way. He’s more confident. He’s out. But he’s still been unable to find intimacy in a real way. A real and constant struggle for LGBTQ people, especially in the age of Grindr (which is in the new film) and Instagram ‘influencers’ aka hot guys in underwear.”

“Johnny isn’t 17 either,” Brind continued. “And he’s no longer the arrogant bad boy of high school hallways. Life has gotten more complex. And when Ben and Johnny meet for the first time since high school, they talk about it all. And of course, they get back in the pool…”

There’s also a new star, Adam Hagenbuch (Fuller House).

ben

“It was really hard to revisit this world,” said Brind. “I needed to get it right. To give the fans what they wanted, but also what they NEED. Which means twists and turns, easter eggs, sex appeal, one-liners, but also questions of existential angst, lack of purpose, the perils of intimacy as a gay man. The DARE world has never been about a gay guy chasing a straight guy. As a professor at USC, I see everyday how the world has become so sexually fluid in many ways. More and more of my students are non-binary or bi or trans or simply unclassifiable.”

“THE DARE PROJECT is about connection,” Brind added. “What happens if there’s someone out there that makes you feel so alive that it’s addictive? And what happens if you are of potentially differing sexual identities? And in 2019, who really gives a shit—you’re just two humans. That’s who Ben and Johnny are. That’s what this short is about—moments of connection in a disconnected world. Letting our fans and our community know that there is no right path—just a series of choices and moments. I’m not a blue-sky kind of guy. I like to keep it real. And always a little dark. I like to play off tropes, and then unmask them. But everything DARE will always end in hope. And the promise of what’s next. “

THE DARE PROJECT is available starting midnight to rent and buy on Tuesday, 9/24 at dareshortfilm.com but before that, the filmmakers would like to give Towleroad readers a look at the exclusive premiere of the trailer, right here:

Brind and Salky are also in discussions with Alan Cumming’s production company Club Cumming Productions about developing THE DARE PROJECT into a series. In the clip below, Brind and Salky talk about deciding to make the sequel and its fans offer some thoughts on what it means to them.

video
play-rounded-fill
Link
typorama 6 copy

Topics: Entertainment, Film/TV/Stream, towleroad More Posts About: Dare, David Brind, Entertainment, Film, movies, The Dare Project

Related Posts
  • LGBTQ Pro Wrestling Documentary ‘Out In The Ring’ Wins Best Canadian Feature at Inside Out Toronto Film Festival
  • Viola Davis was called by director’s maid’s name
  • The Week in Pictures: May 13 – May 20
  • James Dean & Marlon Brando’s Alleged Affair Revealed After Casting Agent Exposes Rendezvous With Hollywood Stars

    James Dean & Marlon Brando’s Alleged Affair Revealed After Casting Agent Exposes Rendezvous With Hollywood Stars

    Published by Radar Online MEGA James Dean was claimed to be a mega-fan of fellow screen legend Marlon Brando before they allegedly engaged in an “S&M” relationship, so it may come as no surprise that other …Read More »
  • Unearthed: Late Lisa Marie Presley Blames Scientology For Michael Jackson Divorce — ‘They Made Sure That I Left Him’

    Unearthed: Late Lisa Marie Presley Blames Scientology For Michael Jackson Divorce — ‘They Made Sure That I Left Him’

    Published by OK Magazine MEGA Lisa Marie Presley is holding the Church of Scientology accountable even from beyond the grave. The late singer, who died at the age of 54 on Thursday, January 12, believed Scientology …Read More »
  • Lawsuit to take aim at Utah law banning transition care for minors

    Lawsuit to take aim at Utah law banning transition care for minors

    Published by Reuters By Brad Brooks (Reuters) – The legal director of a leading LGBTQ advocacy group on Monday said he is preparing a lawsuit to ask courts to block a new Utah law that prohibits …Read More »
  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

    U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

    Published by Reuters By Tom Hals, Mike Spector and Dan Levine (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court upended Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to offload into bankruptcy tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products, ruling the …Read More »
Previous Post: « Man Says He Was Held Down, Punched by Church Congregants Trying to ‘Pray Away’ His Homosexuality: WATCH
Next Post: LGBTQ Philanthropist Tim Gill to Receive One of Colorado’s Highest Honors from Governor Jared Polis »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Seventh Memphis officer suspended, three firefighters sacked, over fatal beating

    Seventh Memphis officer suspended, three firefighters sacked, over fatal beating

  • Principal orders librarian to take down Holocaust survivor’s famous quote

    Principal orders librarian to take down Holocaust survivor’s famous quote

  • Former FBI official warns of right-wing violence akin to ‘violent Islamic jihad’

    Former FBI official warns of right-wing violence akin to ‘violent Islamic jihad’

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

    Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

  • ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

    ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

  • Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

    Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

RSS Partner Links

  • Rhiannon Ally and DeMarco Morgan May Replace Amy Robach And T.J. Holmes On “GMA3” And It’s Causing Drama
  • Every Superman Movie & TV Show, Ranked
  • Nia Long Tells Drew Barrymore That She Wasn’t Selected For The “Charlie’s Angels” Movie Because She Looked “Too Old” And “Too Sophisticated”
  • Morning Man Classic: James Franciscus!
  • Hot Killers + Rugby Vet: I'M GAY + Santos Quits Committees — What's Next? + NeNe's Son Teases Homosexuality, Homosexuals + Reminder That Paris Hilton Sucks + MORE! — 12-PACK
  • OMG send it back: Alan Cumming returns Order of the British Empire
  • Marvel's 'Agatha: Coven of Chaos' TV Series - 12 Big Stars Joining & Returning to Cast!

Most Recent

  • Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign Paid Alt-Right Pal Milo Yiannopoulos Nearly $50k For Consulting After Being Blindsided By $116k Bill

    Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign Paid Alt-Right Pal Milo Yiannopoulos Nearly $50k For Consulting After Being Blindsided By $116k Bill

  • James Dean & Marlon Brando’s Alleged Affair Revealed After Casting Agent Exposes Rendezvous With Hollywood Stars

    James Dean & Marlon Brando’s Alleged Affair Revealed After Casting Agent Exposes Rendezvous With Hollywood Stars

  • Unearthed: Late Lisa Marie Presley Blames Scientology For Michael Jackson Divorce — ‘They Made Sure That I Left Him’

    Unearthed: Late Lisa Marie Presley Blames Scientology For Michael Jackson Divorce — ‘They Made Sure That I Left Him’

  • Lawsuit to take aim at Utah law banning transition care for minors

    Lawsuit to take aim at Utah law banning transition care for minors

  • U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

    U.S. court rejects J&J bankruptcy strategy for tens of thousands of talc lawsuits

  • Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

    Michael Jackson’s Son Prince ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ His Cousin Is Playing The Famed Singer In Upcoming Biopic

  • Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

    Judge blocks New Jersey ban on guns at beaches, casinos

  • Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

    Florida pastor clashes with DeSantis over Black history courses and vows to host them in his church

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×