<\/p>\n
With a little over a month left until the Venice Film Festival lineup is unveiled, a clutch of buzzy prestige titles with top talent has emerged as likely contenders for the Golden Lion.<\/p>\n
New works by internationally renowned auteurs such as Florian Zeller with \u201cBunker,\u201d a psychological thriller starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; Martin McDonagh with \u201cWild Horse Nine,\u201d a Searchlight Pictures political thriller starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell; Werner Herzog\u2019s \u201cBucking Fastard\u201d starring Rooney Mara and Kate Mara;\u201d and Nanni Moretti with \u201cIt Will Happen Tonight\u201d with Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca are expected to be among the highlights, alongside \u201cThe Echo Chamber,\u201d the latest drama from Italy\u2019s Andrea Pallaoro starring Alicia Vikander and Luca Marinelli as enraptured lovers and featuring Susan Sarandon.<\/p>\n
More from Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera is, as usual, racing against the clock to finalize the festival\u2019s 83rd edition, with several slots still in flux. What already appears clear, however, is that \u2014 much like Cannes this year \u2014 Venice 2026 is likely to have a lighter Hollywood footprint. A combination of studios\u2019 growing reluctance to spend heavily on festival premieres, production delays affecting several anticipated U.S. films (and probable PTSD from \u201cJoker 2\u2033 getting panned) is expected to thin the ranks of major commercial titles. Among the projects unlikely to be ready in time are David Fincher\u2019s \u201cThe Adventures of Cliff Booth\u201d \u2014 the sequel to Quentin Tarantino\u2019s \u201cOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood\u201d once again starring Brad Pitt \u2014 and Tom Ford\u2019s \u201cCry to Heaven,\u201d which marks Adele\u2019s acting debut.<\/p>\n There is still hope, however, for some Hollywood star power on the Lido in the form of Aaron Sorkin\u2019s \u201cThe Social Reckoning,\u201d the follow-up to \u201cThe Social Network\u201d in which Jeremy Strong succeeds Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Talks are believed to be underway between Barbera \u2014 who has yet to see the completed film \u2014 and Sony regarding a Venice premiere.<\/p>\n While Netflix may not bring \u201cThe Adventures of Cliff Booth\u201d to the festival, the streamer is expected to still show up with several titles, notably Fernando Meirelles\u2019 \u201cHere Comes the Flood,\u201d a heist thriller starring Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones.<\/p>\n There is also the possibility that Apple TV+\u2019s Seth Rogen-directed series \u201cThe Studio\u201d Season 2, which shot on the Venice Lido in March with Madonna on-set and features a cameo by Barbera, could screen in some form at the festival.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, below is a first batch of titles likely to compete for the Golden Lion. As previously announced, Maggie Gyllenhaal will preside over the jury.<\/p>\n Aaron Sorkin \u2014 \u201cThe Social Reckoning\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg (taking over from Jesse Eisenberg) in this companion piece to \u201cThe Social Network,\u201d based on the events that sparked the Wall Street Journal\u2019s expos\u00e9 \u201cThe Facebook Files.\u201d The film follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer, who enlists WSJ reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) to blow the whistle on the social network\u2019s most guarded secrets. Sony Pictures releases the film on Oct. 9, which tracks with a Lido bow.<\/p>\n Florian Zeller \u2014<\/strong> \u201cBunker\u201d <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This elevated thriller features real\u00a0husband-and-wife Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz playing a couple facing tensions\u00a0as a mysterious construction project \u2014 a bunker commissioned by a powerful tech mogul \u2014 begins to infiltrate their lives. \u201cBunker\u201d also stars Paul Dano, Stephen Graham and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Zeller, who made his feature debut with the Oscar-winning film \u201cThe Father,\u201d was last at Venice with \u201cThe Son\u201d starring Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern.<\/p>\n Fernando Meirelles \u2014 \u201cHere Comes the Flood\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n From Academy Award nominee Fernando Meirelles (\u201cThe Two Popes,\u201d \u201cCity of God\u201d) and written by Simon Kinberg (\u201cMr. & Mrs. Smith\u201d), the film tells the story of a bank guard plotting with a master thief to carry out a heist. The Netflix film stars Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Danai Gurira and Sean Harris.<\/p>\n Martin McDonagh \u2014 \u201cWild Horse Nine\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island. When Chris bonds with a pair of rebellious students, it threatens to derail the entire mission. The film stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Wait, and Parker Posey, with Searchlight Pictures distributing.<\/p>\n Werner Herzog \u2014 \u201cBucking Fastard\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Herzog\u2019s new film stars Rooney Mara and Kate Mara as two sisters, Jean and Joan Holbrooke, who attempt to dig a tunnel through a mountain range in search of an imaginary land where true love exists. The film was initially invited to Cannes 2026<\/a> as an official selection, but Herzog declined after it wasn\u2019t offered a competition slot. It also stars Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson.<\/p>\n Andrea Pallaoro \u2014 \u201cThe Echo Chamber\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Based on an unfinished script by Bernardo Bertolucci (completed by Ludovica Rampoldi and Ilaria Bernardini), the film revolves around a man, a woman and an apartment where an affair takes place. The cast is led by Alicia Vikander, Susan Sarandon, and Luca Marinelli. Pallaoro\u2019s previous films \u201cHannah\u201d and \u201cMonica\u201d were both in competition at Venice.<\/p>\n St\u00e9phane Briz\u00e9 \u2014 \u201cA Good Little Soldier\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The film stars Alba Rohrwacher as a woman navigating a corporate environment where vulnerability is not an asset. At 43, Carla is a high-performing executive newly recruited as the HR manager of a major insurer, tasked with rebuilding its brand. Vincent Lindon also stars.<\/p>\n C\u00e9dric Kahn \u2014 \u201c15\/18\u201d (aka \u201cA Place to Heal\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n Set in a French public hospital\u2019s adolescent psychiatry unit, the film follows the erratic rhythm of teenagers coming and going while a doctor and his team navigate the relentless cycle of treating, listening and confronting suffering. When 17-year-old Lucia is brought back by police yet again, the arrival of a new patient threatens to shatter the fragile balance of the ward.<\/p>\n Ilya Khrzhanovsky \u2014 \u201cDAU: Mother\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The next major entry in Khrzhanovsky\u2019s monumental \u201cDAU\u201d project, which he spent over two-and-a-half years finishing. \u201cDAU. Natasha\u201d and \u201cDAU. Degeneration\u201d previously premiered at the 2020 Berlinale. Khrzhanovsky renounced his Russian citizenship and has been an outspoken critic of Putin\u2019s regime, but he has also faced allegations about the way he treated women on the set of \u201cDAU. Natasha.\u201d<\/p>\n Nanni Moretti \u2014 \u201cIt Will Happen Tonight\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A drama loosely based on Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo\u2019s short story collection \u201cHungry Heart\u201d, co-written by Moretti with Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella. It stars Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca and Angela Finocchiaro. It marks Moretti\u2019s first collaboration with Garrel, and his first with Trinca since \u201cThe Son\u2019s Room\u201d in 2001. \u201cIt Will Happen Tonight\u201d will likely mark the first time in more than two decades that Moretti \u2013 who has had nine movies in competition at Cannes \u2013 will launch a new movie from the Lido.<\/p>\n The 84th edition of Venice will run Sept. 2-12, with the festival\u2019s lineup being announced July 23.<\/p>\n Best of Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With a little over a month left until the Venice Film Festival lineup is unveiled, a clutch of buzzy prestige titles with top talent has emerged as likely contenders for the Golden Lion. New works by internationally renowned auteurs such as Florian Zeller with \u201cBunker,\u201d a psychological thriller starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; Martin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2462437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[355719,348185,484353,41089,484355,484350,484352,313601,307704,309385,367780,344574,350559,380398,484354,347627,364818,484351,398002,39188,363263,51068,315695,353106,484356,351277,333428,363813,353969],"class_list":["post-2462435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-alberto-barbera","tag-alicia-vikander","tag-andrea-pallaoro","tag-denzel-washington","tag-fernando-meirelles","tag-florian-zeller","tag-jasmine-trinca","tag-javier-bardem","tag-jeremy-allen-white","tag-jeremy-strong","tag-jesse-eisenberg","tag-john-malkovich","tag-kate-mara","tag-louis-garrel","tag-luca-marinelli","tag-mark-zuckerberg","tag-martin-mcdonagh","tag-nanni-moretti","tag-penelope-cruz","tag-robert-pattinson","tag-rooney-mara","tag-sam-rockwell","tag-searchlight-pictures","tag-susan-sarandon","tag-the-echo-chamber","tag-venice","tag-venice-film-festival","tag-venice-lido","tag-werner-herzog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Venice-Film-Festival-Takes-Shape-\u2018The-Social-Reckoning-\u2018Here-Comes.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2462435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2462438,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462435\/revisions\/2462438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2462437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2462435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2462435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2462435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}