Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the premiere of the new film directed by star-studded director Luca Guadagnino is missing.
The new film starring Zendaya will not have a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Challengers, which stars the Euphoria star as a tennis coach caught in a love triangle, was scheduled to open on August 30 before hitting theaters on September 15.
However, due to a strike called by the SAG-AFTRA union, during which actors cannot promote their films, MGM and Warner Bros. decided to exclude the “Challengers” from the festival program.
“After careful discussion with our partners and in light of the parameters SAG-AFTRA has decided to impose on its members, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the Challengers from this year’s Venice Film Festival,” mgm extension said in a statement.
“We look forward to celebrating the film when we get the chance with our cast, director Luca Guadagnino and the whole team later.”
The theatrical release of Challengers, which also stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Feist, has been pushed back to April 26, 2024.
The festival will open with the Italian war film Comandante directed by Edoardo de Angelis; and the closing (September 9) is entrusted to “La Sociedad De La Nieve”.
The rest of the lineup will be announced in the coming hours.
Covermedia