The line-up for this year's Venice Film Festival is here – and it's jam-packed with premieres of some of the most exciting movies still to come this year. The program features new titles from directors including David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Michael Mann, Sofia Coppola, and Ava DuVernay, and we've outlined our top picks that we think you should be keeping an eye out for, whether you're on the Lido or not.
Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist, was recently dropped from the program after its release date was pushed back from September 2023 to April 2024, and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things has also been bumped down the release calendar due to the ongoing actors' strike. The latter movie is still set to premiere at the festival, although things will look a little different on the Lido this year – with SAG-AFTRA still striking, none of the films' casts will be making an appearance to promote their movies.
The Killer
David Fincher is back with his first feature since 2020's Mank. Based on the series of graphic novels by Alexis Nolent, The Killer will follow Christian (Michael Fassbender), a cold-blooded assassin, who begins to have a psychological crisis in a world with no moral compass. Fincher re-teamed with screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker for the film, who he previously worked with on Seven. The movie will be released on Netflix on November 10.
Ferrari
Michael Mann is back in the director's chair for the first time since 2015 with Ferrari, which stars Adam Driver as car manufacturer founder Enzo Ferrari. Set over the eventful summer of 1957, the movie follows Enzo in crisis as he deals with the threat of bankruptcy, the death of his son, and a failing marriage with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz). Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey also star, and the film will hit theaters on December 25.
Poor Things
Emma Stone re-teams with The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things. She stars as Bella, a Frankenstein's monster of sorts, brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist played by Willem Dafoe. When she meets debauched lawyer Duncan (Mark Ruffalo), she sets off on a whirlwind, continent-hopping adventure. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Alasdair Grey and will be released in theaters on December 8.
Priscilla
If you thought you'd already seen the full story of Elvis, think again. Sofia Coppola is back in the director's chair with Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley's 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which documents her life and her marriage to the legendary musician. Pacific Rim Uprising's Cailee Spaeny and Euphoria's Jacob Elordi will play the couple alongside a cast that includes Succession's Dagmara Domińczyk. The movie doesn't have a release date yet.
Origin
Ava DuVernay is making history as the first African American woman to compete with a movie at Venice Film Festival with her film Origin. Based on true events, it follows Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson in her quest to find the origins of injustice, with a cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis, Connie Nielsen, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman, and Jon Bernthal. Origin doesn't have a release date yet.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Hot off the release of Asteroid City, Wes Anderson is back with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a wealthy man with a penchant for gambling who masters the art of seeing through playing cards to find out what's on the other side – and predicting the future through meditation. The cast also includes Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Ben Kingsley, and Rupert Friend, and the film will release on Netflix (although it doesn't have a release date yet).
Maestro
Bradley Cooper stars as legendary Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein in new biopic Maestro, which will have a particular focus on Bernstein's relationship with his wife, the Costa Rican actor Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Cooper is also directing, for the first time since 2018's A Star is Born, and the movie counts Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg as producers – in fact, Scorsese was originally going to direct the film. It is set to be released on Netflix sometime this year.
Venice Film Festival takes place from August 30 to September 9. For more viewing inspiration, check out our guide to the rest of the most exciting upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond.
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