WATCH: Ian McKellen and Roger Allam star in late-in-life queer romance Frank & Percy

It’s a dreary Monday, and our anxiety levels are spiking ahead of mid-term election day next month, but we know just the thing to cure that seasonal blues:

How about a sweet, elderly gay romance that’ll have you laughing, crying, and restoring your faith in humanity?

How about we take this to the next level?

Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

The legendary Sir Ian McKellen and fellow Olivier Award-winning actor Roger Allam star in Frank & Percy, the story of two men trying to make the most of their lonely twilight years when they meet by chance and make a connection that goes far deeper than either of them ever expected.

Adapted from Ben Weatherill’s West End play of the same name, the film finds the pair of esteemed actors reprising their stage roles: McKellen plays Percy, a proudly gay man who’s in his 80s but is still young at heart—with a fondness for dating guys many years his junior!—while Allam plays Frank, a seventy-something widower still grieving the loss of his wife.

The men first cross paths on a crisp autumnal day in Hampstead Heath, London’s famed park with a noted history as a hot-spot for gay cruisers, which we have to imagine was intentional? But they’re not there for hookups; they’re dogwalkers, and they strike up a chat over their shared love for their furry friends.

Initially, things are casual, cordial. Percy is fiercely independent and doesn’t think he needs anyone looking out for him, while Frank spent the entire 70-plus years of his life believing he was straight. But as their park meet-ups become a regular part of their lives, neither can deny there’s something that keeps pulling them together.

Directed by Sean Mathias (Bent)—who dated McKellen between ’78 – ’87—Frank & Percy tells an unabashed queer love story, and scenes of two older men sharing a bath or kissing in the middle of a Pride celebration are enough to make every gay’s heart soar.

But it’s universal, too, with an uplifting message for anyone who’s ever felt they’ve missed their chance to meet that special someone. While performing the play in London, the actors were surprised to find it was winning over gay and straight audiences alike:

“What’s interesting, having played it for seven weeks in Windsor, two in Bath, is that a perfectly straight audience is happy to take on the joy of watching two old guys make fools of themselves and fall in love,” McKellen said to Attitude back in 2023. “They love it. Even 10 years ago, you couldn’t have expected that. The world’s moved on. Of course, I do think theatre audiences are probably the vanguard of social change.”

It’s also a reminder to keep our hearts and minds open even as we get older, much like Frank, who never felt attracted to men before, but doesn’t try to deny how he feels about Percy. While Allam himself has been married to a woman for many years, his casting in the role underscores that sexuality is a spectrum—nothing in the world is so black-and-white, especially when it comes to love.

In addition to its esteemed stars, Frank & Percy is stacked with out queer icons including actor/comic Stephen Fry, Baby Reindeer‘s Jessica Gunning, Doctor Who‘s Ncuti Gatwa, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again‘s Hugh Skinner, and the great Sir Derek Jacobi, McKellen’s longtime friend. The cast also includes Absolutely Fabulous‘s Dame Joanna Lumley, Dame Siân Phillips, and Rob Brydon.

A new trailer has dropped ahead of the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival this week, which you can watch below, and stay tuned for more details on when Frank & Percy might be coming to a theater near you.

Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.