Hollywood vet Greg Berlanti has delivered many great movies and TV shows over the years, and his latest flick, the critically well received Fly Me To The Moon, just released as part of the 2024 movie schedule. The triple threat (director, producer and writer) has worked on a number of successful productions across both the big and small screens, One of those is the the LGTBQ+, young adult film Love, Simon, and Berlanti recently shared why the film remains special to him several years later.
A major force at The CW, Greg Berlanti has worked on countless TV shows. And Love, Simon was only his third studio film when it released in 2018. One of the best rom-coms of all time, the film is a coming-of age-story centered around a closeted gay teen who strikes up an anonymous email romance with another gay student at his school, and it’s based on the book by Becky Albertalli. While speaking with Deadline, the Life As We Know It director recalled why he decided to take a break from TV to make the teen flick:
I had about 15 shows then. Honestly, I don’t count them because there it’s more about the people I do them with. Even sometimes after things are canceled in my mind, they still exist. I have to keep believing in them even after we’re told they are not going to work out. But Love, Simon … I go back to that story I told you about working the video store in my hometown. I still categorize movies in terms of where they would have been, on what shelf in the store I would’ve put them on. Love, Simon was always that movie to me that wasn’t on that shelf and deserved to be. I really set forth with that film to add to that John Hughes-esque pantheon of teen movies that were nostalgic and wistful and timeless in their own way.
Greg Berlanti, who is gay, is referencing the missing genre of queer coming-of-age films during his own youth. Later in the interview, the Arrow producer says that was one of the special elements of the 2018 film — having it center around a main character who had never been at the center, at least in the context of the film.
One of the best parts of making the film was apparently the public’s response to the movie. There was so much support for the film upon release, with LGBTQ+ celebrities even buying out entire theaters for people to enjoy the movie for free. The former Arrowverse producer said that the film being in cinema was especially important to him amid the streaming boom:
One of the gratifying things of that being a theatrical movie, which today I think I’m pretty sure most people would want to do it streaming, was the joy of sitting in a theater and watching straight people or people of all kinds applaud a gay kiss, the same way they would’ve applauded any other kiss. That was a visceral thing, and the number of kids since who have written to me or called me, or young adults in the business who have approached me and told me that they or someone they know came out to their family at the end of that movie or in the midst of the movie, or right after at home…you realize, I think at some point like, oh, that’s why I did that, to connect with individuals in that regard. That was incredibly, incredibly rewarding.
As someone who watched this film as a closeted queer teen in high school, there were a lot of moments that resonated with me. I’ve always been someone who has loved both teen films and romantic comedies, and I was (and still am) always on the hunt for LGBTQ+ representation in all forms of media. And that’s especially true in regard to visual storytelling, which has historically been lacking. Love, Simon was a breath of fresh air. I think the My Policeman producer achieved his goal of creating a modern John Hughes-esque romance for the LGBTQ+ youth yearning for it.
The film proved to have a strong legacy as well, as Hulu later greenlit a spinoff called Love, Victor, which is highly rewatchable. While Greg Berlanti wasn’t involved, Nick Robinson — the lead of the film — reprised his role as Simon for a few episodes. Since Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda, Becky Albertalli has written more books within Simon’s universe, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Berlanti return to Creekwood High, especially if he was to adapt Leah On The Offbeat, a sapphic romance between two of Simon’s friends.
Whether or not Greg Berlanti would be interested in making additional films set in the fictional universe is unclear. And he is busy with other productions at the moment, including a sequel to the 2023 LGBTQ+ rom-com he produced, Red, White & Royal Blue. Nevertheless, it’s sweet to hear that he still holds Love, Simon in such high regard, and it’s wonderful that fans continue to reach out to him and share how it’s impacted their lives.
Those who’d like to rewatch Love, Simon or check it out for the first time can rent or buy it on digital platforms. And, if you are hungry for some new queer media like me, check out the best LGBTQ+ movies per Rotten Tomatoes.