2019 Venice Film Festival Preview: 15 Must-See Movies - Page 2 of 3

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“Wasp Network”
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Wagner Moura, Gael García Bernal, Adria Arjona, Ana De Armas
Synopsis: Five Cuban spies are imprisoned by the United States in the late 1990s during the post-Soviet Union economic collapse.
What You Need to Know: If you are ever searching for a director with a diverse body of work, look no further than Olivier Assayas. Oddball thrillers (“Demonlover”), horror-tinged mysteries (“Personal Shopper”), and romantic dramedies (“Non-Fiction”) have all made their way into the director’s filmography since Assayas first broke onto the scene in the 1980s. Nevertheless, if any connective threads string together the filmmaker’s wide-spanning portfolio, it is his proclivity for drama—and “Wasp Network” will likely fit perfectly alongside its peers. Featuring a well-rounded cast of recognizable international talent (Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, and Gael García Bernal, in particular), the film focuses on a group of Cuban spies in the final years of the Cold War. With plenty of espionage, infiltration, and political intrigue guaranteed to be thrown into the mix, expect to be hearing much more about “Wasp Network” after its debut at Venice. – JC

“The King”
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp
Synopsis: After his father’s death, a wayward prince is appointed as King of England and is forced to rule over a divided nation and wage war against France.
What You Need to Know: Since people like to toss around the phrase “underrated” so frequently, let’s talk about David Michôd. From “Animal Kingdom” to “The Rover,” the Australian filmmaker has helmed some of the decade’s finest films that everyone should have loved, but that hardly anyone outside of true cinephiles ever talked about. Michôd’s films are grimy, raw, and armed to the teeth with realistic characters situated alongside immaculate performances—and yes, that is a direct reference to Robert Pattinson in “The Rover.” Now, two years after the release of his Netflix original “War Machine,” Michôd returns to the director’s chair for “The King,” which is similarly set to premiere on the aforementioned streaming service this fall after its unveiling at Venice. Interestingly, “The King” teams Michôd with fresh additions to the filmmaker’s roster (Timothée Chalamet and Lily-Rose Depp) in addition to familiar faces; Pattinson is slated to return, while frequent collaborator Joel Edgerton co-wrote the screenplay and will also round out the supporting cast. Regardless of the outcome, we’re assuming that “The King” will feature a handful of strong performances and more than a bit of brutality. – JC

“Seberg”
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Zazie Beetz, Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley, Vince Vaughn, Jack O’Connell
Synopsis: An ambitious FBI agent is assigned to investigate Jean Seberg, an iconic actress who became embroiled in the civil rights movement during the late 1960s.
What You Need to Know: If you are still not watching movies with Kristen Stewart due to her involvement with the “Twilight” franchise, it is time to grow up. In case you have not been paying attention, Stewart has evolved from an infamous public enemy into a shining indication of quality since Stephanie Meyer’s saga broke apart in 2012. Since then, the superstar has made an active effort to work alongside some of the most critically celebrated directors of the 21st century—Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria,” Woody Allen’s “Café Society,” and Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women” stand out as a trio of highlights—and the actress even has her own directorial debut on the way with “The Chronology of Water.” In short, knowing that Stewart chose to star in “Seberg” should at least cause your eyebrows to raise. Directed by Benedict Andrews—whose previous outing “Una” was described as a mix of Jonathan Glazer and Andrea Arnold—the film centers on Jean Seberg, the star of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” and the FBI-conducted investigation that ensued as a result of the actress’s involvement with the civil rights movement in the United States. In addition to Stewart, Anthony Mackie, Zazie Beetz, Vince Vaughn, and Margaret Qualley are among the laundry list of actors set to appear in the film. With such an abundance of talent involved on both sides of the camera, “Seberg” arguably holds the potential for greatness. – JC

“Joker”
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Brett Cullen, Bryan Tyree Henry, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham
Synopsis: The demented clown prince of Gotham City finds a fresh, ’70s take on his origin story.
What You Need to Know: In what’s sure to be one of the most discussed and debated films of the fall, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” is one of the stranger, more intriguing films to find footing in the fall festival circuit in some time. Warner Bros. is showing an unruly amount of confidence in this Martin Scorsese-inspired comic book film, even though it’s through a character that Heath Ledger won an Oscar for before. The Joker has some clout to his on-screen legacy, and he’s being portrayed here by Phoenix, one of the talents of his generation. There’s a lot of potential here for something truly different just as there is a lot of potential for this to go wrong. Phillips’ first dramatic film “War Dogs” was basically a gigantic homage to “Goodfellas,” so we’ll see if his “Joker” is the “Taxi Driver”/”The King of Comedy” mashup we didn’t know we wanted/needed. Social media is going to set aflame when this film comes out, with first reactions out of Venice a good indicator of just how inflammatory the conversations are going to be. But when your protagonist is a character who is notorious for just wanting to watch the world burn, it’s a fitting end. We’ll know soon enough how this latest version of the Joker goes over and if it’s truly an awards play for Phoenix and the rest of the cast and crew. – Cory Woodroof

“Ad Astra”
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Kennedy, LisaGay Hamilton, John Ortiz
Synopsis: An astronaut (Pitt) must venture across the galaxy to find his missing father (Jones).
What You Need to Know: It’s a difficult proposition to judge “Ad Astra” as an awards contender sight unseen. Big space/sci-fi movies have a mixed track record at the Oscars, as of late, with “Gravity” and “The Martian” obvious success stories and “Interstellar,” a film that went the opposite direction, despite some crafts love. James Gray’s most ambitious, mainstream title yet could go either way this awards season, but it’s just exciting to see an artist get such a big canvas to prove his mettle. Having a star like Pitt in tow certainly helps get people in seats, and this film’s general success will be a major story for the fall as Disney evaluates how its Fox acquisitions do at the box office. A success could inspire the Mouse House to have confidence in continued greenlights of challenging original adult films under the Fox banner. A failure could give them continued pause to keep a lot of what made Fox great creatively going. Regardless of the ancillary ramifications, “Ad Astra” is one of the hotly-anticipated titles of the fall for many film fans, and for good reason. We’ll know soon enough if Gray has hit another home run when Venice reactions surface. – CW