No, the Lesbian Brokeback Mountain Isn’t a Thing

Fans on Twitter were shocked to hear that Emma Watson and Margot Robbie are slated to costar as romantic leads in a 2017 lesbian remake of the gay classic Brokeback Mountain.

It started as a rumor online, but once it started circulating, some fans were supportive of the film, fake as it is. It all started whenThe Portly Gazelle, a satirical site, published an article claiming that the remake was confirmed for 2017 and would star Robbie and Watson.

The Portly Gazelle has been called "one of the most confusing and outrage-inducing clickbait websites in existence" by The Daily Dot. In its description of the totally nonexistent remake, the Gazelle reported that the film would follow "two lesbian lovers in rural USA and will retain most of the themes of the original film, aside from the obvious gender switch." The site even concocted quotes it attributed to the two stars.

"Us being straight won't be a problem, we're actors, it's just something we have to do," went one of the quotes.

The Gazelle also created a hashtag to get the news trending on social media. The article ended with a call to action reading "To discuss the movie, tweet under #Brokeback2."

Even though news of the remake was all a joke, some fans are already naming their dream actors for the roles originally played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. One fan suggested the model and actress Cara Delevingne alongside the bisexual actress Amber Heard.

Maybe fans wanted to believe the story becaused there are still so few same-sex love stories on film. Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy told The Advocate last year that she was inspired to work on that film because many LGBT films don't end on a hopeful note. "When you think about the movies that have been made, even high-profile movies about men, like Brokeback Mountain, someone died," Nagy said. "It's depressing."

In other Brokeback Mountain news today, the Academy Award-winning director Pedro Almodovar spoke to Empire and revealed that he was once in talks to direct the film. "My version of Brokeback Mountain would have had a lot more sex," he said.