Nail-Biter: Big Venice Premieres in Suspense Over SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements

Dozens of Hollywood players are staring anxiously at empty Louis Vuitton trunks this week, wondering if A-list stars and select filmmakers will get the greenlight from SAG-AFTRA to attend the rapidly approaching Venice Film Festival.

The unions interim agreements have been a focal point over the past weeks of the contentious strike, as the deals allow some productions to resume and select finished films to engage in publicity. Venice kicks off Aug. 30, and the only two projects granted an interim agreement to promote so far are Michael Manns Ferrari and Luc Bessons Dogman. It remains unclear if those casts led by Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, and Oppenheimer star Christopher Denham and Caleb Landry Jones, respectively will turn up at the Palazzo del Cinema.

Leadership at SAG-AFTRA previously said theyve received hundreds of applications for the interim agreements, leaving many a marketing executive and talent rep scrambling for answers. With production mostly paused amid the strikes, and companies tightening their belts, arranging last minute travel plans is challenging. As one rep put it, attending the Italian festival aint cheap. SAG-AFTRA did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Though its unclear which titles applied for the agreements, there are several films in the official Venice selection that have starry casts, positive early buzz or both. Sofia Coppolas Priscilla is the most notable, starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi as iconic rock couple Priscilla and Elvis Presley. The films distributor A24 has received interim agreements to shoot new movies, but has yet to receive one for the stars of Priscilla to hop on a gondola in Venice.

Same goes for Michael Francos Memory, a romantic drama centered around dementia which stars Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Merritt Wever and Elsie Fisher. Ava DuVernay is also bringing the narrative feature Origin, based on the acclaimed book Caste. That stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga. Theres also one of the most secretive but anticipated titles, Aggro Dr1ft, Harmony Korines latest film starring superstar musician Travis Scott. All these titles are for sale and, as Variety reported earlier this week, will need to find buyers that agree to SAG-AFTRAs new contract demands.

Plenty of other projects headed to Venice are prestigious and packed with stars, but already have distribution from the companies SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are currently battling. That includes Netflixs Maestro from Bradley Cooper and Yorgos Lanthimos latest Poor Things, led by Emma Stone.