MovieChat Forums > American Gigolo (1980) Discussion > American Gigolo prequel idea

American Gigolo prequel idea

posted 2 years ago by Carlo (62)
6 replies | jump to latest

Hello guys,
this is Carlo, my first time on this forum. I was watching, for the third time I think, "American Gigolo". I was wondering if someone has ever considered writing a prequel to this movie. The relationship between the gay pimp, Leon, and his former "protegè", Julian, could really be explored and deepened. It would be interesting to know how Julian got himself into the prostitution world and how Leon helped him in rising in this business.

It seems to me that the character of Leon is quite interesting in order to explore the underground gay culture that we can see at the Probe club. Moreover, this prequel could be the ideal context to show how these young gigolos are caught and exploited by these human traffickers. Considering also the kind of rough tricks that Leon assigns to his male prostitutes, in the script there could be also a murder committed by Julian in the prequel. This prequel should show the perversions of the high society class that hires these men. What do you think about it? Thanks.

[–] kwestmo (4114) 2 years ago

I think Leon and detective Sunday(portrayed by the great Bill Dukes and Hector Elizando) are the best characters in the movie. I wouldn't mind seeing a movie about them leading up to AG, which could incorporate your idea.

[–] stickman38 (3011) 2 years ago

Film wasn't big enough for a prequel. It barely recouped it's rather small budget.

That being said, it's been quite some time since I've seen this movie. So, it's hard to answer this question. I think a sequel might be better with Julian's son becoming a gigolo like his father before him. They could even throw in some light sabers and space ships. lol...

They could call it - American Jedi Gigolo. It would be the biggest smash hit summer blockbuster of the year.

[–] kwestmo (4114) 2 years ago

The movie wasn't a hit but has established cult status. A TV show is being based around it, so the prequel isn't a wacky idea, though I am not convinced the TV show or prequel would have an audience.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4257262/

[–] stickman38 (3011) 2 years ago

Wow, I didn't know they were making a TV show based on AG.

That might be pretty good, I could see the story evolving after Julian gets out of jail. Court room drama could be in play here as well. I might have to check out the TV series. I do remember AG as being a pretty good movie but nothing stellar from what I recall. Gere made the film somewhat entertaining though with his smooth persona and decent acting skills.

Thanks for the info...

[–] thbryn (226) 2 years ago

The film was flawed. You had to accept some ridiculous things like why wasn't the victim's husband an immediate suspect? Was he even interviewed by Cops?
I liked the film. I did not like the Det.Sunday character who was to lazy to solve the crime and basically got Julian to do all his work for him.

[–] stickman38 (3011) 2 years ago

thbryn,

I do vaguely remember that, but damn, it's been a long time since I've seen this movie though.

From what I recall, it didn't even make sense why he was accused of the crime. And it never really was explained why the woman, which was one his "clients", decided to go to bat for him at the end and claim they were together when it happened.

But... it could set the stage for some pretty intense court room action in the TV series. We'll see...