We're going to need the proper re-releases of all of these, stat!
Warner Bros., Disney/Pixar, Marvel Studios
We love it when mainstream movies include queer storylines. What we don't love as much is when movies do include queer storylines in the original script or filming, but then those storylines hit the cutting room floor instead of making the final cut.
Some blows hurt more than others. Some choices make some semblance of "sense" according to the filmmakers, but that doesn't always ease the pain when good queer-inclusive storylines get chopped.
Here are 10 major films that had a gay storyline during at least some point in production, but ultimately didn't make it into the final release...
Love Actually
Universal Pictures
One of the more popular films during the holidays is Love Actually, a 2003 British rom-com that chronicles nine different love stories, though none of them are LGBTQ+. 20 years later, however, we found out that wasn't totally true. In fact, filmmaker Richard Curtis admitted that he was "really sad" about the scenes from the film that showed the headmistress coming home to her terminally ill partner. It was one of two scenes cut from the film that not only would have developed Anne Reid's character, but given some much-needed representation for the time.
Thor: Ragnarok & The Marvels
Marvel Studios/Disney
Okay, this one isn't specifically for just Thor: Ragnarok, but rather for the character Valkyrie (played by out actress Tessa Thompson). Marvel has left out a few queer scenes, including an alleged romance between Valkyrie and Captain Marvel in 2023's The Marvels. Prior to, Ragnarok director Taika Waititi admitted they should have left in a scene filmed with a woman leaving Valkyrie's apartment and kissing her to cement the canon of Valkyrie's bisexuality.
Joy Ride
Lionsgate
Another film that almost but didn't quite have a sapphic love scene was Joy Ride. Two of the film's stars, Sabrina Wu and Stephanie Hsu, shed some light on a scene involving Kat (Hsu) and Lolo (Sherry Cola), who were meant to embark on a budding romance following a game of rock, paper, scissors. Unfortunately, the romance ultimately hit the cutting room floor, leaving us all heartbroken at what could have been.
Fantastic Beasts
Warner Bros.
Albus Dumbledore's sexuality was a mess through and through. Although the Fantastic Beasts films were the biggest culprits in leaving out his sexuality — particularly in The Crimes of Grindelwald, where it could have been the perfect time to examine the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald — the source material is really where it all started. Of course, J.K. Rowling said nothing of his sexuality until after the books were said and done, which meant that nothing was ever examined in canon, nor in the movies, nor in any subsequent films ever since. Considering the source, we can't say we're too surprised, but we're hopeful at least something gets looked at when HBO produces the upcoming Harry Potter TV show.
Star Trek: Beyond
Paramount
There was a tiny bit of controversy in Star Trek: Beyond by making Lt. Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) the first clearly LGBTQ+ main character in Trek's 50-year history, which was an extra slap in the face to George Takei, the openly gay actor who originated the role. Despite that, Cho told Vulturethat a scene involving their daughter at the airport saw the two husbands kiss, but it was ultimately left out of the final cut.
James White
The Film Arcade
Rapper Kid Cudi took on his second-ever film in James White, where there was a bit of a double whammy when it came to his sexuality. One hit came by cutting out the scene where his character, Nick, comes out. The other involves his kissing scenes, of which he noted he knew nothing about the scenes being removed until the film's premiere and wasn't exactly happy when he found out his character's sexuality had all but been muted.
Turning Red
Disney/Pixar
Disney isn't exactly known for being super upfront about having queer characters. When Turning Red came out, fans were happy with the authentic portrayal of how awkward it is to be an adolescent, as well as just how difficult it is to learn to love everything about yourself. Though the film was marketed as an inclusive coming-of-age film, some fans were left more than underwhelmed at some of the characters, once again, being merely hinted at being queer instead of giving it the outright story it deserved.
Luca
Disney/Pixar
Another bummer from Disney/Pixar was Luca. Okay, well, we shouldn't outright say "bummer," because the movie was great, but it missed yet another opportunity to give a queer love story to an animated film. Despite the queer themes and the love from the LGBTQ+ fanbase, director Enrico Casarosa says the film isn't about romance and is another instance of gay love being censored with no good reason.
Star Wars, Episodes 7-9
Lucasfilm/Disney
Okay, so, yes, there's a chance Luke Skywalker was gay, but it's a little more acceptable that George Lucas didn't take that route, considering the time of the original Star Wars release in 1977. What is less forgivable, however, are films 7-9 (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker) leaving out the potential for a love storyline between Finn and Poe. Even actor Oscar Isaac, who played Poe, said there was major chemistry. John Boyega, on the other hand, who plays Finn, said the "chemistry" only existed in Isaac's head, but we have to disagree. Still, this one isn't exactly cut from the films, but it was still a major disappointment.
Scooby-Doo
Warner Bros. Pictures
Off the bat, before we get too into this, there was some redemption involved with Scooby-Doo by allowing Velma to be a lesbian in the HBO Max show about the character. However, Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Daphne in the live-action films, shocked us all when she said there was a kiss between the two women that ultimately hit the cutting room floor. She also insinuated that Fred, played by her real-life hubby Freddie Prinze Jr., may also be bisexual, but the scenes examining that all got cut, as well.
