Billy Porter has found his lead for his upcoming film, What If?.
According to Deadline, Porter has cast 17-year-old trans actress and TikToker Yasmin Finney. Finney rose to fame in her hometown of Manchester, England and has a dedicated social media following from her Tik Tok videos about her experiences as a trans woman in Manchester.
What If? follows a high school senior who writes on social media about his crush on a trans girl. Social media commenters compel the senior to go forward with the relationship, resulting in a romance the two thought wasn’t possible.
Finney will play Kelsa, a trans high school senior who becomes one half of a whirlwind relationship. According to the official description, Kelsa’s classmate Khal posts online about his crush on Kelsa, leading internet commenters to urge him to ask her out. Their relationship becomes something “neither could have expected.”
What If?, Porter’s directorial debut, is written by Alvaro García Lecuona with Christine Vachon producing for Killer Films and David Hinojosa, D.J. Gugenheim and Andrew Lauren producing for Andrew Lauren Productions.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this new space in Hollywood for telling all types of stories from all types of people,” Porter said in a prior statement. “I am grateful to be in a position to usher some of these stories into the mainstream and I am humbled that heavy hitters like Christine Vachon and Alana Mayo have entrusted and empowered me in this insane time we all find ourselves in.”
What If? was announced first feature under Orion Pictures’ relaunch under Alana Mayo, former Head of Production and Development for Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.