It’s just been announced this morning: Angelina Jolie is going to Venice!! I mean, I hope she’s going to Venice, because Pablo Larrain’s Maria has been accepted into the Venice Film Festival’s in-competition line-up. Maria is Larrain’s latest bio-pic of a famous and complicated woman, this time Maria Callas, with Angelina starring as Callas. Maria will compete against Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door, Luis Ortega’s Kill the Jockey and many others. I seriously hope Angelina gears up and shows up in Venice.
Unfortunately, there might be some complications in Venice. Venice organizers have also added Jon Watts’ Wolfs to their out-of-competition line-up. Wolfs is the dumb buddy-comedy starring that ratf–ker George Clooney and his good buddy Brad Pitt. The Hollywood Reporter previewed this potential situation last month, that Clooney would want Wolfs to premiere in Venice and the two premieres (Wolfs and Maria) would cause some issues. The festival better do everything to ensure that Angelina gets prioritized and that the two premieres are several days apart.
Meanwhile, some more film festival news for Angelina: her directorial effort, Without Blood, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Without Blood stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir, and Angelina directed it before the actors and writers strikes last year. So we’ll get Angelina in Toronto too! What a year.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.