The line-up for the 82nd Venice Film Festival has just been revealed, and it promises to be one of the strongest editions in years. Running from August 27th to September 9th, the festival will premiere new films from some of the biggest names in contemporary cinema, including Jim Jarmusch, Olivier Assayas, Noah Baumbach, Kathryn Bigelow, and Yorgos Lanthimos. Here’s what to keep an eye out for.

Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia
The Greek filmmaker returns with Bugonia, an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!. The film stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons and follows two conspiracy theorists who kidnap the CEO of a major company, convinced she’s an alien bent on destroying Earth. It’s Lanthimos, so it’s going to be bizarre and brilliant.

Jim Jarmusch, Father Mother Sister Brother
Jarmusch’s new project, Father Mother Sister Brother, is an anthology film still shrouded in mystery. Co-produced by Saint Laurent Productions, while plot details remain under wraps, the cast is peak Jarmusch: Tom Waits (of course), Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, and Vicky Krieps.

Kathryn Bigelow, A House of Dynamite
Kathryn Bigelow makes her long-awaited return with A House of Dynamite, her first film since 2017’s Detroit. A political thriller, it centres on a group of White House officials who discover that missiles have been launched directly at the United States. The cast includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Gabriel Basso. Following its Venice premiere, the film will arrive on Netflix in October.

Noah Baumbach, Jay Kelly
Following the evolving friendship between a famous actor and his longtime manager as they journey through Europe, in typical Baumbach style, it really feels like everyone is in this film. The cast list includes (deep breath) George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Isla Fisher, Louis Partridge, and Charlie Rowe.

Olivier Assayas, The Wizard of the Kremlin
Exploring the inner workings of the Russian government in the final years of the Soviet Union, The Wizard of the Kremlin stars Paul Dano in the titular role as a political spin doctor, with Jude Law appearing as a young and ambitious Vladimir Putin.

Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
We’ll finally get our chance to see Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein at Venice. Yes, we’ve all seen Frankenstein a million times before but this is Del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s classic novel. You know it’s going to be great.

Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine
Rounding out the in-competition slate is The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie’s biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Starring Dwayne Johnson in a dramatic role, will this film lead him to his first Oscar nomination? It’s certainly being rumoured…

Luca Guadagnino, After the Hunt
Luca Guadagnino’s new film, After the Hunt, stars Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri and centres around a college professor who is forced to grapple with her own secretive past after one of her colleagues is faced with a serious accusation. Guadagnino reunites with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who will score the film and legendary cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed came out of semi-retirement for it,  this being his first film in over 25 years.

Gus Van Sant, Dead Man’s Wire
Also screening out of competition is Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire, his first film since 2018’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot. Based on the true story of Tony Kiritsis, a man who, in 1977, famously took his mortgage broker hostage after defaulting on a loan, the film stars Bill Skarsgård as Kiritsis and Dacre Montgomery as the broker.