John Leguizamo

Actor and comedian John Leguizamo’s autobiographical one-man show Ghetto Klown (which played on Broadway in 2011) is soon to be adapted for the big screen, though it will be a fictionalized version of Ghetto Klown and will be re-named Fugly! Currently the movie is expected to open in theaters at the end of this year.

Fugly! will star John Leguizamo as a Latino comic named Jesse Sanchez. When he has a near-death experience, Sanchez must revisit the ups and downs of both his personal and professional life. Under the direction of Alfredo De Villa, the film will co-star Rosie Perez, Ally Sheedy, Yul Vasquez, Tomas Milian, Radha Mitchell, and Griffin Dunne.

“This is my first foray into screenwriting and in trying to up-end a format by making an ‘anti-romantic comedy,’” said Leguizamo. “‘Fugly’ was a term we used and invented in New York when I was a kid for anything truly abhorrent. It was used on me many a time in my hood. This time I’m appropriating it. This is my revenge through art!”