It’s official: Adam Driver, Caleb Landry Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and Jessica Chastain are among the stars set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
Following multiple unconfirmed reports, the festival has confirmed that Driver is expected on the Lido’s red carpet to promote Micheal Mann’s ‘Ferrari’ in which he plays the title character, Italian motor racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari; Landry Jones comes on for Luc Besson’s Dogman; Mikkelsen will make the journey for Danish director Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land and Chastain for Mexican author Michel Franco’s Memory, her first role since her Oscar-winning performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Also expected at the Lido are Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, who will play Priscilla and Elvis Presley in Sophia Coppola’s “Priscilla.” and Priscilla Presley herself.
All of the above films were granted provisional exemptions from SAG-AFTRA as they are indie productions not produced by AMPTP members.
However, according to Italian news agency ANSA, Kiefer Sutherland will likely also be at the Lido to pay homage to the late William Friedkin’s last film, legal drama The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, despite being produced by Showtime and Paramount Global, an AMPTP Member.
Meanwhile, the party scene in Venice was only slightly affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike, with only one cancellation of an Armani event centered on Cate Blanchett.
Variety has announced that Ava DuVernay – whose drama “Origin,” inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” will be the first work by an African-American director to be represented in the Venice competition is – being there will be honored with the Award of Inspiration by the international AIDS organization amfAR during a gala dinner with performances by the singers Rita Ora and Leona Lewis. However, it is not yet certain if film stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga will attend the festival.
The upcoming 80th edition of Venice will take place from August 30th to September. 9.