Luca Guadagnino Opponents, a menage à trois tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Fist opens the 80th Venice Film Festival, the festival announced Thursday. The film will be out of competition.
Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis coach and force of nature whose husband, a former champion (The Story of the West star Mike Fist) has lost a series. He ends up in a competition against Patrick (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s old friend. As their pasts and gifts collide, Tashi has to ask herself what she’s willing to do to win.
Opponents premieres on August 30, kicking off the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Opponents It will be distributed in the US through MGM and Amazon Studios and internationally through Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was written by Justin Kuritzkes and produced by Amy Pascal, Guadagnino, Zendaya and Rachel O’Connor. The Executive Producers are Bernard Bellew, Lorenzo Mieli, and Kevin Ulrich. Music from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.
“I’m so happy that audiences are getting to know my new film Opponents at the Venice Film Festival,” Guadagnino said in a statement. “It’s a bold new story about the energy, love and power of youth. Zendaya, Josh and Mike are completely original and fresh, bringing new energy as you’ve never seen before. I can’t wait for the Lido audience to dance to the soundtrack notes of Trent and Atticus at the opening night of the 80th edition of the Mostra. As a filmmaker, it’s a dream to it is and I am grateful to Alberto and the whole Venice family for this wonderful recognition for the film.
The Call me with your Name The director is a regular in Venice, appearing in competition last year with his cannibal love story Bones and all by Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell and features such features I am Love(2009), Splash more (2015) and Suspiria (2018) on the Lido. Zendaya graced the 2021 Venice red carpet with Chalamet for the world premiere of Dune: Part 1.
“Luca Guadagnino is one of the few Italian directors who has always known how to work with Italian and foreign actresses and actors, getting good results from them every time,” said the artistic director of the Venice film festival Alberto Barbera. “Even when he’s filming abroad as it is Opponents. With a light hand and self-confidence in sports, Guadagnino does not limit his creative energy in this film as he deals with themes such as love, friendship, and male conflict, and brings to life an interesting and affecting film, full of irony, sensitivity, and good nature. Cinema in its purest form.”
The 80th Venice Film Festival runs from 30 August to 9 September. Venice will unveil its full 2023 lineup on July 25. The Land and Babylon The director Damien Chazelle is the president of the international jury this year judging the main titles of the competition.
