WNBA stars headline “Courtside” as queer hoops rom-com

Courtside gay – The upcoming feature film “Courtside,” produced by Jennifer Beals’ and Ilene Chaiken’s Run-A-Muck, brings a gay women’s basketball rom-com story to the screen with real WNBA players Gabby Williams, Theresa Plaisance, and Sydney Colson. The script is by Brittan

For gay basketball fans who’ve been juggling the stress of finding the right stream for WNBA games. there’s a different kind of excitement now—one that doesn’t require buffering or a refresh. “Courtside,” an upcoming feature film, is being made as a gay basketball rom-com starring actual WNBA players.

The project is in the hands of Jennifer Beals’ and Ilene Chaiken’s production company Run-A-Muck. The film’s writer/director team is Brittani Nichols and Carly Usdin, two names longtime fans have followed with real devotion. Their script comes from Nichols and their direction comes from Usdin.

At the center of the story are real WNBA players: Gabby Williams, Theresa Plaisance, and Sydney Colson. Colson is also executive producing. and in an Instagram post. she framed the film’s appeal with the kind of blunt joy that sounds like it was written by someone who’s been waiting for this exact question to get answered. “If you like Love & Basketball and Bend It Like Beckham and Bring It On but you found yourself wondering. ‘could this maybe be a little bit gayer?’ We got great news for you. Because we had the same question, and the answer is ‘yeah, you can always make it gayer.’”.

The plot. described as “an injury-plagued women’s basketball superstar with championship ambitions who is thrown for a loop when she falls for a teammate. ” positions the romance inside the pressure cooker of elite sport. And with the cast coming directly from the league. the stakes aren’t just emotional—they’re also tethered to what authenticity looks like when players themselves are involved.

Nichols and Usdin have built careers around stories that feel both sharp and lived-in. A decade ago. the announcement landed with special weight for fans because Nichols and Usdin previously collaborated on “Suicide Kale. ” a gay film that Nichols wrote and starred in. and Usdin directed. Nichols says the “Courtside” news still feels unreal even to her.

In remarks shared with Autostraddle readers. Nichols described the moment as “a project with Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals” that ranks among the strangest chapters of her career. “There have been a few moments in my career that seem really cuckoo but having a project with Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals has got to be the most absurd thing that’s ever happened to me. ” she said. She added that community excitement has surprised her only in its intensity. not its direction: “The excitement around the project has already been incredible but I’m not surprised. Having worked for Autostraddle. I’m intimately familiar with how excited our community is whenever there’s something for us because it so rarely happens. We know people want this story and we’re excited to tell it.”.

Usdin matched that enthusiasm with the kind of behind-the-scenes patience that makes projects like this feel earned. She said she and Nichols have been trying to get the film off the ground for over five years. “There have been a few moments…” Nichols said. but Usdin’s version of the story starts with persistence: “Brittani and I have been trying to get this movie off the ground for over five years now. so it’s a real testament to both our combined stubbornness and the obviously gigantic fanbase for women’s sports that we’ve finally gotten here.”.

She also underlined why using real WNBA players matters to her—not as a marketing detail, but as an artistic commitment. “Having actual players like Syd, TP and Gabby involved is incredibly meaningful to me because we care so much about authenticity in the world we’re setting out to portray.”

For Usdin, the surreal part goes beyond the romance and the basketball. She pointed to a deeper thread running through her life and work: “But it’s fully surreal that. of all the producers in the world. the ones who share our vision and are fully bought in on us also made The L Word???. Younger Carly would be levitating. Current Carly is also levitating.”.

If “Courtside” is landing as news that feels like a celebration. it’s because the story is being built at the intersection of women’s sports and queer storytelling—by a team that has already earned the trust of fans who recognized their earlier work. Nichols and Usdin’s “Suicide Kale” showed audiences what this creative partnership could do. Now “Courtside” is promising a different flavor of the same long-awaited thing: a super gay basketball rom-com made with the kind of care that doesn’t treat authenticity as optional.

Courtside WNBA gay rom-com Brittani Nichols Carly Usdin Run-A-Muck Jennifer Beals Ilene Chaiken Gabby Williams Theresa Plaisance Sydney Colson Suicide Kale queer sports film