Romantic Comedy · LGBTQ · Feature Film

GUNCLES

"Two feuding uncles. One precocious nephew. One rivalry that turns into everything they never expected."

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The Logline

When a struggling writer's impossibly perfect brother-in-law moves back to town, their cutthroat battle to be the favorite uncle of one precocious nephew turns into an unexpected romance—if they don't kill each other first.

The Story

A Comedy About Rivals,
Uncles, and Second Chances

Tony is a hopeless romantic whose life is spectacularly falling apart. His boyfriend just dumped him, his editor is threatening to trash his manuscript, and he's barely holding it together while caring for his nephew Donnie—whose father is deployed overseas. The one thing Tony has going for him? He's Donnie's favorite uncle.

Then Adam shows up. Tony's brother-in-law's impossibly charming, infuriatingly perfect younger brother, fresh from London with expensive gifts and a killer smile. When Adam immediately starts winning over Donnie, Tony declares war.

What follows is an escalating battle of uncle one-upmanship—until the competition turns into something neither of them expected. Somewhere between the banter and the chaos, they realize they're not just rivals. They're falling for each other. But when Tony's life spirals out of control and he loses everything, he has to decide: keep protecting his heart, or take the biggest risk of all and fight for the love he never saw coming.

Romantic Comedy LGBTQ Found Family Rival-to-Lovers Ensemble

The Characters

Meet the Guncles

Tony

The Hopeless Romantic

Joey Nisivoccia — attached to play this role

A neurotic, big-hearted aspiring author who works at a beloved indie bookstore. Funny, chaotic, deeply loyal—and absolutely terrible at protecting his own heart. He's been Donnie's favorite uncle his whole life, and he's not about to lose that title without a fight.

Adam

The Perfect Rival

Mike Manning — attached to play this role

Charming, confident, and infuriatingly put-together. Fresh from London, he slots into family life with suspicious ease—expensive gifts, natural warmth, and a smile that wins over everyone around him. Including, eventually, Tony.

The Ensemble

Surrounding Tony and Adam is a fully realized world: Donnie, the five-year-old who may be the smartest person in the room; Daniela, Tony's no-nonsense sister holding the family together while her husband is deployed; Trish, Tony's fiercely loyal best friend; Christopher, his married ride-or-die who refuses to let him self-destruct; and Lu, the owner of the indie bookstore Tony calls home—a mentor figure with a legacy worth fighting for.

The Talent

In Talks

Lance Bass

N'SYNC

Kym Whitley

Happy Gilmore 2

Harvey Guillén

What We Do in the Shadows

Lachlan Buchanan

Station 19

Barbara Niven

Chesapeake Shores

Also Exploring

Jonathan Stoddard · Jamie-Lynn Sigler · Jane Lynch · George Takei · Dulce Candy (1M+ followers) · Jenny Solares (4M+ followers) · Ashleigh Murray

We have direct access to, and/or have worked with, all talent listed above. We will target actors who bring box office and streaming value alongside others with a large online presence and a built-in fanbase. The above-the-line budget is flexible depending on the caliber of talent a buyer may require.

The Comps

Where GUNCLES Lives

The Holiday Sitter

Hallmark · 2022

The first Hallmark Christmas movie centered on a same-sex couple—Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa as two men who meet when one becomes a last-minute babysitter. A ratings hit that proved gay rom-coms with warmth, found family, and genuine heart play to mainstream audiences far beyond the core LGBTQ base.

Fire Island

Hulu · 2022

A gay Pride & Prejudice adaptation set during a week on Fire Island, from writer-star Joel Kim Booster. Released on Hulu to critical acclaim, it demonstrated that LGBTQ audiences will show up in force for a smart, character-driven rom-com with a great ensemble cast.

Love, Simon

Fox 2000 · 2018

The crossover LGBTQ film that opened the mainstream market. GUNCLES shares its broad emotional appeal and optimistic tone—a film straight audiences will love as much as queer ones.

The Proposal

Disney / Touchstone · 2009

The gold standard of rival-to-lovers romantic comedy. GUNCLES runs the same engine—forced proximity, escalating competition, undeniable chemistry—through a fresh, contemporary LGBTQ lens.

Bros

Universal · 2022

The first major studio LGBTQ rom-com. GUNCLES targets the same audience with a warmer ensemble tone and a lower-budget entry point that makes it ideal for a streaming buy or mid-level theatrical release.

Heated Rivalry

Crave · 2025

A breakout LGBTQ streaming hit following two rival professional hockey players in a secret long-term romance. Its success on Crave proved that rival-to-lovers queer stories have a passionate, underserved audience hungry for exactly what GUNCLES delivers.

The Production

Built to Move Fast

$700K–$1.2M

Budget

Flexible above-the-line depending on the caliber of talent a buyer requires. Below-the-line controlled by limited locations and a lean shooting schedule.

18 Days

Principal Photography

Tight, focused shooting schedule designed for efficiency. Q3 2026 target start.

Location Flexible

Filming Location

Kentucky, Georgia, New York, or Missouri — whichever best maximizes production incentives for the buyer.

GUNCLES is designed to be produced quickly and profitably. The script's limited primary locations, ensemble cast structure, and tight schedule make it an attractive package for a buyer looking to greenlight a crowd-pleasing LGBTQ rom-com without the risk of a larger production.

The Team

Joey Nisivoccia

Writer · Actor

Writer of GUNCLES and attached to star as Tony. A multi-hyphenate creative with a background in writing, performance, and production—bringing both the vision for this story and the commitment to see it through to screen.

Mike Manning

Producer · Mannifest Productions

Multi-Emmy-winning actor, writer, and producer. Known for This Is Us (NBC), The Bay (Peacock — 2× Emmy winner), and Son of the South (exec. produced by Spike Lee). Producing credits include Showtime's Kidnapped for Christ and Netflix's The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Tribeca Film Festival). Currently starring in CBS's Beyond the Gates.

Drew Pokorny

Producer · 1Mosaic Productions

Founder of 1Mosaic Productions. Former Head of Development at Lance Bass Productions, where he sold properties to Hulu, SiriusXM, and Union Square. Co-created and directed the award-winning scripted podcast Bedtime Stories of the Ingleside Inn, starring Jason Alexander. Currently in development on the dark comedy horror feature SKETCH (Emma Roberts attached) and the docuseries REBOOT.

Get In Touch

Let's Make This Film

GUNCLES is actively seeking the right production partner, studio, or streaming home.

Download Script