TV & Film
Acclaimed writer, producer, and director Patrik-Ian Polk, best known for his trailblazing TV series Noah’s Arc, has announced that he will be directing a film adaptation of Invisible Life, the seminal novel by ten-time New York Times best-selling author E. Lynn Harris.
Polk shared the exclusive news during his sit-down conversation with the hosts of the Surface Level Podcast (Jordan, Damon, and Tony) at their Surface Level Live event at Harlem Stage in New York on February 8, 2025.
While discussing his upcoming projects, Polk revealed, “One of the things that I am working on is I am going to be directing Invisible Life the movie, the E. Lynn Harris adaptation, so I’m very excited about that.”
Published in 1991, Invisible Life is a coming-of-age novel that tackled the then-taboo subjects of bisexuality and the AIDS crisis. The book, along with its sequels in the Invisible Life trilogy, remains a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ literature, particularly within the Black community. Harris, who was openly gay, was celebrated for centering the experiences of gay and bisexual Black men in his work, opening doors for representation in mainstream publishing.
In 2021, Deadline reported that The Invisible Life trilogy was being adapted into a television series at HBO, with playwright Harrison David Rivers attached as the screenwriter and executive producer. Proteus Spann, curator of the E. Lynn Harris brand, and Tracey Edmonds were also named as producers, with Spann’s Proteus E2 Productions securing the IP rights for Harris’ entire literary catalog before his passing in 2009.
A total of 16 books, published between 1991 and 2010, were included in that acquisition. At this time, Gaye Magazine has not confirmed if all previously announced producers and creatives remain attached to the project alongside Polk.
Polk’s involvement in bringing Invisible Life to the big screen marks a major milestone in LGBTQ+ storytelling in film. Having made history with Noah’s Arc, the first television series to focus on the lives of Black gay men, Polk’s visionary storytelling continues to push the boundaries of representation.
With this adaptation, audiences will soon get to experience Harris’ pioneering narrative in a whole new way, introducing a new generation to a novel that forever changed the landscape of Black LGBTQ+ literature and visibility.
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