When the Actors’ Strike was called earlier this month, the eyes of many in the industry turned to the fall film festivals and how strict SAG-AFTRA rules on film promotion might limit their star power.
With the
Venice Film Festival being the first major event on the calendar, the Lido – usually filled with A-listers every year, and the 2022 Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles screaming just died down at the festival – will the red carpet be noticeably less?
For all the concerns that the festival’s actual lineup, which has become arguably one of Hollywood’s most important awards season launchpads, would be affected, Tuesday’s program announcements immediately addressed that.
Last week, R -Class Luca Guadagnino, starring Zendaya, starring Zendaya. The premiere night file, but the film festival chairman Alberto Barbera said in his opening speech that this is “the only movie we have lost”. He then proceeded to roll out a star-studded list of some of today’s best directors, at a festival known for its enviable lineups.
World premieres on the Lido include David Fincher’s Hitman starring Michael Fassbender ; Bradley Cooper’s second film, The Master co-starring Leonard Bernstein with Carey Mulligan; Poor Thing from Venice favorite Yorgos Lanthimos , starring Emma Stone with Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Remy Youssef, Jerrold Carmichael and Margaret Qualley; Priscilla 2024 from Sofia Coppola, Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley ; Henry Sugar’s Amazing Stories 2024 Way Anderson, an anthology short starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Dev Patel and Ralph Fiennes; and Ferrari2024, Michael Mann’s highly anticipated racing biopic Ferrari, starring Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley and Penello Penélope Cruz stars.
LIST CONTINUES: Ava DuVerny’s Origins , starring Angienu Ellis-Taylor, Connie Nielsen and Jon Bernthal, Michelle Franco’s Memory , starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, and The Land of Saints and Sinners , starring Liam Neeson Starring Kerry Condon.
So there’s no shortage of star power, but the question remains: Which talents will actually be allowed to attend given the strike?
The Hollywood Reporter 2024 has heard that a major film in main competition will premiere without the cast in Venice if the strike is still going on. There may be more to come. For example, Netflix, which uses Venice as its main springboard, will this year bring The Killer , The Master 2024, The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar , Pablo Laraine’s Comte and End of the Festival Snow Society . While the latter two — feature films in Chile and Spain — are unlikely to be affected by the strike, the first three have cast unionized casts, meaning their Venice premieres could be cast-less if the labor dispute drags on into late August. Poor Things2024 backed by Searchlight is facing a similar issue.
In his opening remarks, Barbera noted that the SAG-AFTRA strike would mean some “actresses and actresses” would not be able to attend, but insisted that talent from independent films would be able to come, meaning the red carpet “wouldn’t be empty”.
Thankfully, this still leaves enough room to keep the paparazzi happy, hoping to show off their non-AMPTP credentials. Productions include Priscilla2024(supported by A and The Apartment),Ferrari,Finally Dawn, by Lily James and Willem Dafoe Starring Richard Linklater’s Hit Man , starring Glenn Powell, French sci-fi The Beast starring Georges MacKay and Léa Seydoux, and Luc Besson’s comeback Dogman , starring Caleb Landry-Jones.
THR2024 Heard that exemption requests for some of these films are being sent to SAG-AFTRA, although no official announcement has been made yet.
Having said that, if the strike continues, with or without union exemptions, there remains an issue that could hamper the red carpet in Venice.
“There is also the question of whether the actors are willing to do PR in Venice, or show their solidarity with their high-profile counterparts,” said a publicist.
2024
