Jeremy Allen White will next play a bisexual character in a series adaptation of André Aciman‘s Enigma Variations, according to a report by Variety.
Alle White is set to play the lead character, Paul, in the series being developed for the international streaming service Netflix.
Additionally, the Shameless star will executive produce. Amanda Kate Schuman is attached to write and executive produce alongside Oliver Hermanus (Mary and George, The History of Sound), who also directs.
Enigma Variations charts the life of Paul, whose loves remain as consuming and covetous throughout adulthood as they were in adolescence. Whether in southern Italy, where, as a boy, he has a crush on his parents’ cabinet maker, or on a snowbound campus in New England, where his enduring passion for a girl he’ll meet again and again over the years is punctuated by anonymous encounters with men; on a tennis court in Central Park or a sidewalk in early spring New York, his attachments are ungraspable, transient and forever underwritten by raw desire—not for just one person’s body but, inevitably, for someone else’s as well.
‘Enigma Variations’ Could Lead to Controversies
There are a few concerns about this project, primarily the casting decision.
Like many others that cast big names who are not or do not identify as queer, it continues adding to the imbalance of visible and impactful representation.
In 2025 the list of out queer actors is quite long, and any excuse for casting a non-queer actor in the role might be unsatisfactory.
Aciman is the writer behind Call Me by Your Name, the book whose film adaptation made Luca Guadgnino and Timothee Chalamet a household name.
Many criticisms of the film exist, but one of the biggest was how it portrayed gay love. It was more of lust than love.
Stories about lust matter too, but in Aciman’s work, where there is a contrast between gay and straight relationships, gay relationships don’t hit the same.
In all fairness, Aciman’s writing allows him to dive fully into characters, and movies fail to capture some of his prowess.
Based on the book’s synopsis, this story is concerning.
Paul’s desire for men appears to be purely physical and animalistic, while that for the girl is akin to love.
No one wants to watch a TV show in which the lead character hates themselves every time they share an intimate moment with a man.
Judgment is reserved until the project sees the light of day, but check your expectations.