HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Writer and director Chad Darnell is set to make his feature film debut with the Joey Stefano bio-pic "The Porn Brat Pack."
Slated to go into production this summer, the movie chronicles the late gay adult star's battle with drugs and his relationship with veteran director Chi Chi LaRue.
"I worked as a casting director at Central Casting when I first moved to L.A. and every day I saw a lot of Joey Stefano’s come through the doors," Darnell told Advocate.com. "Kids wanting to be famous and then discovering drugs as a way to cope with the lives they created for themselves.
"I watched a few of them die," Darnell continued. "I watched a few of them go on to be some of the biggest stars in the business. You never know what cards you're going to get dealt."
Darnell, whose professional background is in casting and who has booked extras on shows such as "LOST" and "Heroes," told the Advocate that he based his script on interviews with the surviving members of Stefano's circle of friends: Sharon Kane, Mickey Skee, Chris Green and, of course LaRue, who initially rejected Darnell's pitch.
"I was fascinated by their journeys," Darnell said. "Especially Chi Chi, who had a love for someone who could not love him back. I really identified with that. He became one of the biggest producers and directors in the industry, became one of the loudest voices for safe sex in the community, and continues to shape and carve and grow. He's someone who has survived."
Starring in "The Porn Brat Pack" are Missi Pyle ("The Artist") as Sharon Kane, Willam Belli ("Neighborhood Watch") as Karen Dior and Ryan O'Connor ("Away") as LaRue. The role of Joey Stefano has yet to be cast.
Stefano starred in more than a hundred gay adult videos and was known for being a vocal bottom. He died at the age of 26 in 1994 from a drug overdose.
