Luca Guadagnino and Daniel Craig introduce ‘Queer’ at the Venice Film Festival.

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Luca Guadagnino, a familiar face at the Venice Film Festival, is back on the Lido to showcase his new film featuring Daniel Craig, titled “Queer,” which premieres on Tuesday night.

A beloved figure at the festival, Guadagnino missed out on a flashy red carpet launch for his sexy tennis drama “Challengers” last year due to the studio postponing its release amid the actors’ strike. However, he returns this year with another eagerly awaited movie. This time, he’s adapting a novel by William S. Burroughs that tells the story of an American expatriate living in Mexico City in the 1950s who becomes infatuated with a young male student.

Justin Kuritzkes, the screenwriter for “Challengers,” penned the script for “Queer,” based on a novel that was originally written in the 1950s but only published decades later in 1985. Over the years, other filmmakers, including Steve Buscemi and Oren Moverman, have attempted to bring this story to life.

In his director’s statement, Guadagnino referenced a poignant question from Burroughs: “How can a man who sees and feels be other than sad?” This line comes from the final entry in Burroughs’ personal diary before his death. Guadagnino expressed a desire to honor Burroughs’ legacy as they adapted this second novel, written nearly 40 years prior to its publication.

In “Queer,” Craig delivers a performance that Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera has described as “career defining.” He shares the screen with Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, and Jason Schwartzman. The film is competing in the festival’s main category, and it has also been acquired by A24 for theatrical release.

As the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival approaches its final week, the premiere of “Joker: Folie à Deux” is set for Wednesday. The festival has seen numerous star-studded moments, with celebrities like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, and Michael Keaton already gracing the red carpet outside the iconic Sala Grande theater. While there hasn’t been a standout favorite yet, the films have sparked passionate discussions and debates. Topics include the representation of sexuality in “Babygirl,” the authenticity of “Maria” and Jolie’s role, the merits of Almodóvar’s work in English, the cravings for a reunion between Pitt and Clooney, and whether Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ miniseries “Disclaimer,” which is not competing, could be considered the top film of the festival.

Awards will be handed out on the final day of the festival, September 7.

___

For more information on the 2024 Venice Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival