Luca Guadagnino-Daniel Craig's upcoming film 'Queer' is three-hours-long
Luca Guadagnino's latest cinematic creation, Queer, is reportedly slated for its world premiere at the upcoming Venice Film Festival, commencing on August 28. World of Reel recently reported that the film has a three-hour-long runtime! It's an adaptation of William S. Burroughs's contentious novel bearing the same title and has been lauded as "fantastic" by a producer who reportedly previewed it at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is headlined by Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman, and Lesley Manville.
'Queer' follows Guadagnino's withdrawal of 'Challengers'
Queer's premiere follows the withdrawal of Guadagnino's previous film, Challengers, featuring Zendaya, from last year's Venice Film Festival. The Italian filmmaker has a history with the festival and his commitment to bring Queer to this year's edition is seen as a fulfillment of his promise to the director of the Venice festival, Alberto Barbera. Queer wrapped up production in July last year and recently completed post-production.
'Queer' explores Burroughs's life and controversial themes
Queer is loosely based on the life of author Burroughs, focusing on his time in Mexico, living off US government subsidies post-World War II, and his battle with heroin addiction. The novel was penned as a quasi-sequel to Burroughs's semi-autobiographical 1953 work Junkie. Its homosexual themes were considered too controversial for its time, resulting in it remaining unpublished until 1985. Craig portrays Lee, an American expatriate who becomes infatuated with a younger Navy serviceman named Allerton, played by Starkey.
Craig was instrumental in Starkey's casting as Allerton
Craig, who plays the lead role in Queer, was reportedly instrumental in the casting of Starkey as Allerton. Upon viewing Starkey's audition tape, Craig expressed his approval to Guadagnino by stating, "That's the guy." The screenplay for Queer was penned by Justin Kuritzkes, who was approached by Guadagnino during their collaboration on Challengers. Kuritzkes revealed that he decided to write the adaptation after Guadagnino gave him Burroughs's book to read.
'Queer's long journey to the big screen
The adaptation of Queer has had a lengthy journey to the screen. In 2011, Steve Buscemi intended to direct a version of the film with a script from Oren Moverman, but this project never materialized. Kuritzkes acknowledged the novel's complexity, stating it was not written for the screen, but that all elements—characters, story, and point of view—were present. Despite earlier speculation about a Cannes premiere, no official announcement was made. However, Queer is now set to awe audiences.
