YUNGBLUD is producing a short film based on his song, "Mars."
The song is about a trans woman the rocker met at Warped Tour in 2018, and the movie follows Charlie Acaster — a teen who just wants a “normal” adolescence, until one extraordinary night changes her perspective.
“This story is an uncensored, unfiltered portrayal of youth,” YUNGBLUD explained in a statement. “It revels in the fragile beauty of it, flirts with the pain of it, and most importantly the undeniable, glimmering hope of it. It presents a generational shift towards acceptance of one’s self and others and ever-growing confidence in our own insecurities.”
YUNGBLUD teamed up with playwright Chris Bush on the screenplay, and Mars will be directed by Abel Rubenstein.
“I cannot wait to make my first film,” the artist gushed. “This whole journey started with an encounter. Then it became a song, now it’s becoming a movie. All my art is about and forever will be about, is making people feel like they can be undeniably themselves, whoever they are – and with this project, we’re turning that message up to 11."
“The team we’ve assembled is incredible, I am so honored to stand with them all behind this beautiful project and to have them help me bring it to life," he added. "I can honestly say if you don’t adore this movie, then I can guarantee you’ll f**king learn something from it.”
In an Instagram post, YUNGBLUD shared even more information about the project. "This production is going to be more inclusive, and more authentic and more diverse than anything any big network or channel is putting together, and not only are we going to create an incredible piece of short cinema, but we’re gonna show this industry that you can operate an inclusive film set, you can make it mandatory to use people’s correct pronouns on set, you CAN write, cast, shoot, direct, edit, VFX and grade a film with a diverse community of queer talent," he wrote. "i can’t wait for you to meet the writers, i can’t wait for you to meet the cast, i cannot wait for you to meet the crew. there is life on mars! lets go"
See YUNGBLUD's post below.