Venice film festival lineup adds Kidman, Clooney, Craig, and Jolie to the star-studded roster.

The Lido will be graced by the presence of stars as Pablo Larraín’s biopic on Maria Callas competes with the Joker and Beetlejuice sequels for the prestigious Golden Lion award this year.

The Venice Film Festival is set to showcase one of its most star-studded lineups yet this year, with renowned actors such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, and Lady Gaga expected to grace the Lido.

The 81st edition of the festival, taking place from 28 August to 7 September, marks a grand return after last year’s subdued atmosphere due to Hollywood strikes.

Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips’ sequel to his 2019 Golden Lion-winning Joker, is one of the films vying for Venice’s prestigious Golden Lion. Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck, AKA Joker, with Lady Gaga joining the cast as his love interest and partner in crime Harley Quinn. The star-studded film also features Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, and Catherine Keener. Also competing for the Golden Lion are Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, an adaptation of the William S Burroughs novel starring Daniel Craig, Lesley Manville, and Jason Schwartzman; Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, featuring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Joe Alwyn; and Justin Kurzel’s The Order, which follows a group of bank-robbing white supremacists with Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, and Tye Sheridan.

Brad Pitt and George Clooney, beloved actors of Venice, are set to make a comeback at the Lido with “Wolfs,” an action-packed drama directed by Jon Watts (known for “Spider-Man: No Way Home”). The movie follows two independent fixers who are tasked with the same mission. “Wolfs,” a production of Apple Original Films, will be distributed globally by Columbia/Sony and will be shown out of competition. Also screening out of competition is “Broken Rage,” the newest film by the renowned Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.

Isabelle Huppert, a renowned French actress, has been appointed as the head of the jury responsible for assessing the wide range of impressive entries competing for the prestigious awards at the esteemed Venice Film Festival.

Commencing the event will be the screening of the film “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a sequel to Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 classic, featuring a star-studded cast including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Willem Dafoe, and Monica Bellucci.

Complete list of Venice Film Festival 2024 lineup 

VENEZIA 81 COMPETITION

The Room Next Door, dir: Pedro Almodovar

Campo di Battaglia, dir: Gianni Amelio

Leurs Enfants Après Eux, dirs: Ludovic Boukherma, Zoran Boukherma

The Brutalist, dir: Brady Corbet

The Quiet Son, dirs: Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin

Vermiglio, dir: Maura Delpero

Sicilian Letters, dirs: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza

Queer, dir: Luca Guadagnino

Love, dir: Dag Johan Haugerud

April, dir: Dea Kulumbegashvili

The Order, dir: Justin Kurzel

Maria, dir: Pablo Larrain

Trois Amies, dir: Emmanuel Mouret

Kill the Jockey, dir: Luis Ortega

Joker: Folie à Deux, dir: Todd Phillips

Babygirl, dir: Halina Reijn

I’m Still Here, dir: Walter Salles

Diva Futura, dir: Giulia Louise Steigerwalt