We were just remarking a few weeks ago how it’s the summer of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, with the largest-ever U.S. retrospective of the British masters now underway and the Martin Scorsese-narrated documentary Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger coming in July. Now another filmmaker behind what is sure to be one of the most-discussed fall films is paying tribute to the filmmakers.
“Queer will be my most personal film,” Luca Guadagnino tells Cinecitta when it comes to his forthcoming William S. Burroughs adaptation. “It’s a tribute to Powell and Pressburger. I’ve seen The Red Shoes at least 50 times and I think they would appreciate the sex scenes in Queer, which are numerous and quite scandalous.”
Tipped for a Venice Film Festival premiere, Queer marks a reteam with many Challengers collaborators, including writer Justin Kuritzkes, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and editor Marco Costa. Led by Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, the film is set in 1940s Mexico City, following William Lee (Craig), a man afflicted with both acute heroin withdrawal and romantic and sexual yearnings for an indifferent user named Eugene Allerton (Starkey). With a cast also including Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, and Henry Zaga, it’s now revealed three directors will also have roles: David Lowery, Ariel Schulman, and Lisandro Alonso.
In early July, Guadagnino will embark on his next next feature, the dramatic thriller After the Hunt. The Amazon MGM Studios project stars Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ayo Edebiri, and Chloë Sevigny, and follows a college professor who faces a crossroads in confronting her own dark past when a standout student makes an accusation against one of her colleagues. “A magnificent cast for a film that is a dedication to Woody Allen’s Bergman cinema,” notes the director.
As we await more details on both films, check out a VFX breakdown for Challengers below, along with our extended discussion.