A live-action adaptation of the beloved queer, young adult novel Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe will be coming to the big screen soon!
The film will be based on the YA novel which was published in 2014 and written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. The book follows the relationship between Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza and Dante Quintana, “two Mexican-American boys on the cusp of manhood who form a life-changing bond after a chance meeting at an El Paso pool in the summer of 1987." It’s been widely praised as one of the best queer YA books of the 21st century.
Today, the cast for the film was announced, and it’s got some promising newcomers, a queer writer and director, and some legends of Latinx film and TV!
Trans Latina filmmaker Aitch Alberto will be writing and directing the film. She has several shorts under her belt, as well as the feature Hara Kiri, which is described as “a punk infused love story of two street skaters, August and Beto, and their last day on earth.” This will be her major studio debut.
Gomez is probably best known for playing queer teen Elena Alvarez on the Latina reboot of the classic sitcom One Day at a Time. We don’t know who she’ll play in Aristotle and Dante, but she has experience with queer YA stories.