Guy Pearce has confirmed the long-awaited sequel to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is finally on track, telling reporters it will shoot in 2027 for a 2028 release, more than three decades after the original became a queer cinema landmark.
An Update Years in the Making
Pearce shared the timeline at the premiere of his new film, where ABC News reporter James Longman pressed him for details after telling him that Priscilla had been his personal introduction to queer identity on screen. Pearce, who played Adam Whitely (Felicia Jollygoodfellow) in the 1994 original, said the sequel has effectively been years in the making and is now moving forward with a concrete production window. A sequel has been discussed since at least 2020, but this marks one of the clearest confirmations yet from the cast.
How dare you. I'm very much in the same shape.
Guy Pearce
The exchange turned lighter when Longman asked whether Pearce, now 58, could still fill out his character's iconic silver lamé costume. Pearce insisted he could, joking that even Madame Tussauds had confirmed as much when it approached him in 2011 to build a waxwork in his Priscilla drag, only for him to correct the museum on his waistline.
Finishing Terence Stamp's Final Performance
The sequel's most emotional element is its handling of Terence Stamp, who played the trans drag performer Bernadette Bassenger and died in August 2025. Knowing his time was limited, Stamp pre-shot his scenes in full costume and makeup so the character could still appear in the finished film. Director Stephan Elliott has said the footage will now need to be digitally applied to another performer's body, a process similar to how Carrie Fisher was completed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Just in case I don't make the start line.
Terence Stamp
Elliott has described Stamp as initially reluctant to reprise the role, relenting only after reading a script he felt honored the character rather than repeating the first film. The director has called the follow-up
Sources: Queerty, Attitude, Gay Times
Cover photo: usbotschaftberlin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
