Luca Guadagnino’s (51) latest film starring Zendaya (26) will not be released in cinemas until 2024, as reported by the industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter”. In addition, the love drama will not open the Venice International Film Festival in August.
Actually, “Challengers” should have been shown at the Lido as the opening film of this year’s film festival and then hit the big screens in mid-September. Instead, it is now planned to show the film in the USA from April 26, 2024. The tennis romance is set in the world of professional sports. It stars Mike Faist (31) and Josh O’Connor (33) alongside Zendaya.
The festival has meanwhile confirmed that director Guadagnino’s film will not be shown. Instead, visitors will see “Comandante” by Edoardo De Angelis (44) on the opening night. The film festival takes place from August 30th to September 9th.
The most likely reason for the postponement of “Challengers” is the strike by the US actors’ union Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). An anonymous source from the industry magazine asks how one should travel to Venice with a film without Zendaya supporting the film on the spot.
SAG-AFTRA decided last week to go on strike after failed negotiations with the Association of TV and Film Production Companies. The actors and actresses followed the scriptwriters of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have already resigned from the beginning of May.
Actors in the union should not appear in front of the camera to shoot for upcoming productions during the walkout. It is also prohibited, among other things, to advertise films with contributions on social media platforms or to attend premieres. The stars of the “Barbie” film, Margot Robbie (33) and Ryan Gosling (42), did not attend the premiere party in Berlin because of the strike. The cast of the film “Oppenheimer” complied with the request on July 13 at a premiere in London. If stars like Cillian Murphy (47), Emily Blunt (40), Matt Damon (52), Robert Downey Jr. (58) and Florence Pugh (27) only showed up on the red carpet, they left the event before the film screening began.
