Jaboukie Young-White and Issa Rae to adapt The Gang’s All Queer for HBO

Comedian and writer Jaboukie Young-White is set to pen a half-hour series adaptation of Vanessa R. Panfil’s book The Gang’s All Queer: The Lives Of Gay Gang Members for HBO. The series adaptation revolves around a “closeted twenty-something in Chicago who, grieving a gang-related death, ditches college to find reckless closure.” Insecure’s Issa Rae joins Young-White and Montrel McKay as an executive producer.

In The Gang’s All Queer, Panfil draws from 50 interviews with gay gang- and crime-involved young men in Columbus, Ohio. In her work she paints a picture of how these men negotiate their masculinity, sexuality, and gang member status, and how marginalization affects their intersectional identities. The stories of the men in The Gang’s All Queer disrupt the common perception of gang members as overly masculine and heterosexual, showing the array of experiences that exist within this overlooked community.

Young-White’s writing credits include Big Mouth and American Vandal. He gained fame through his viral tweets, and is known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah. He stars in two upcoming films, C’mon C’mon with Joaquin Phoenix and Dating & New York with Francesca Reale.

Issa Rae scored a massive five-year deal with WarnerMedia early this year, giving her the opportunity to develop TV projects for HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television. Over the course of Insecure’s four seasons, the show has rounded up 11 Emmy nominations—including two Outstanding Lead Actress In a Comedy Series nods for Rae—and won the Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series in 2020. The show will wrap up with its upcoming fifth season. When she’s not ruling HBO, Rae plans on starring as Spider-Woman in Into The Spiderverse 2.