Five years after , filmmaker Todd Phillips is returning with the sequel. 鈥淛oker: Folie 脿 Deux鈥� will play in competition with 20 other titles, festival organizers said Tuesday.
The highly anticipated follow-up to the blockbuster comic book film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the mentally ill Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.
The lineup for the 81st edition of the festival, unveiled early Tuesday, also includes new films starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Jude Law.
Among the films playing alongside 鈥淛oker 2鈥� in competition are Pablo Larra铆n's Maria Callas film 鈥淢aria,鈥� starring Jolie; Walter Salles' 鈥淚'm Still Here"; the erotic thriller 鈥淏abygirl鈥� starring Kidman and Harris Dickinson from filmmaker Halina Reijn; Luca Guadagnino鈥檚 William S. Burrough鈥檚 adaptation 鈥淨ueer,鈥� with Craig and Jason Schwartzman; and Pedro Almod贸var鈥檚 first English-language film, 鈥淭he Room Next Door,鈥� starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Set in New England, the filmmaker has said it鈥檚 about an imperfect mother and a resentful daughter.
鈥淭he Order,鈥� Justin Kurzel鈥檚 80s-set crime thriller about the white supremacist group starring Law as an FBI agent, Nicholas Hoult and Jurnee Smollett, will also be in competition, as will Brady Corbet鈥檚 鈥淭he Brutalist,鈥� with Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Joe Alwyn. Shot on 70mm, the 215-minute epic is about a Hungarian Auschwitz survivor who goes to the United States.
Pitt and Clooney will reunite in Jon Watts鈥� 鈥淲olfs,鈥� an adrenaline packed action-comedy about a few fixers that will screen out of competition.
Several interesting films playing in the horizons extra section include 鈥淪eptember 5,鈥� about the live television coverage of the Munich Olympics, starring Peter Sarsgaard; John Swab鈥檚 鈥淜ing Ivory,鈥� with Ben Foster and James Badge Dale; and Alex Ross Perry鈥檚 film about Stephen Malkmus鈥� California rock band Pavement.
Venice will also screen Peter Weir鈥檚 2003 epic 鈥淢aster and Commander: The Far Side of the World,鈥� in conjunction with his lifetime achievement award.
Seven episodes of Alfonso Cuar贸n鈥檚 psychological thriller series 鈥淒isclaimer鈥� will also premiere at the festival. The AppleTV+ show is based on a novel about a documentary journalist and a secret she鈥檚 been keeping. It stars Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline and will debut on the streamer in October.
Among the nonfiction titles playing out of competition are Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards鈥� 鈥淥ne to One: John & Yoko,鈥� which reconstructs the New York years of the Beatle and his wife; Errol Morris鈥� 鈥淪eparated,鈥� about the separation of immigrant children from their parents in the U.S; Anastasia Trofimova鈥檚 鈥淩ussians at War鈥�; G枚ran Hugo Olsson's 鈥淚srael Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989鈥�; 鈥淩iefenstahl,鈥� about the German propagandist; And another Beatles-focused doc, 鈥淭he Things We Said Today,鈥� a time capsule of their arrival in New York and first concert at Shea Stadium.
took place amid the actors鈥� strike. Although some attended under interim agreements, like Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz for 鈥淔errari鈥� and 鈥淧riscilla鈥� stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, the festival was lacking its usual, consistent supply of star power. But its awards season influence remained strong: Seven Venice world premieres went on to get 24 Oscar nominations and five wins: Four for 鈥淧oor Things鈥� and one for Wes Anderson鈥檚 鈥淭he Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.鈥�
Venice is a significant launching ground for awards hopefuls and the first major stop of a busy fall film festival season, with , Telluride and the New York Film Festivals close behind.
The 81st edition kicks off on August 28, with the world premiere of Tim Burton鈥檚 鈥淏eetlejuice, Beetlejuice.鈥� All of the main cast, including Michael Keaton, are expected to grace the red carpet. The Venice Film Festival runs through Sept. 7.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
