‘Padre Pio’ Trailer & First Clip: Shia LaBeouf Plays A Saint For Director Abel Ferrara

Thanks to interviews with Olivia Wilde about her upcoming sophomore feature “Don’t Worry Darling,” actor Shia LeBeouf is back in the news. The actor was set to star in Harry Styles’ part in the movie, but she contends he was fired for bad behavior and to “protect her crew.” LaBeouf was replaced in September 2020, and just a few months later, in December, LaBeouf’s ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs came out with serious allegations and a lawsuit about the mental distress and physical and sexual abuse she suffered at his hands during their relationship. Given this was still during the #MeToo era, it appeared that LaBeouf’s career was over for the time being, but he’s attempting a comeback in a new film called “Padre Pio.”

READ MORE: Director Olivia Wilde Reportedly Fired Shia LaBeouf From ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Due To Her “Zero Asshole Policy”

Directed by New York filmmaker Abel Ferrara—known for “The Bad Lieutenant” and scuzzy ’80 and ’90s Big Apple like “The King Of New York”)— who has since made Italy his home in the last few years, “Padre Pio” is among the titles set to launch at Venice Days, the Venice Film Festival’s independently run sidebar festival.

Not too much is known about the film in specific details or a synopsis, but “Padre Pio” follows the Italian Saint Padre Pio in his early years. LaBeouf took a break from acting in 2020 following the aforementioned allegations by Tahliah Debrett Barnett, aka the singer known as FKA twigs.

The film co-stars Marco Leonardi, Cristina Chiriac, Salvatore Ruocco and Luca Lionello. Ferrara hasn’t seemed overly concerned about the allegations and has spoken about Shia LaBeouf’s commitment to the role.

“He’s the kind of actor that the next minute he jumps in his pickup truck, and he’s driving to a monastery in California,” Ferrara told Variety this week. “He’s bringing his own life to it. You are seeing a person going through a very similar experience. It’s not just about wearing robes and performing actions.”

“When the actor is living a parallel-type journey, that’s when you get such a powerful performance,” he continued. “Padre Pio” was shot by Alessandro Abate, the director of photography on “Martin Eden,” so it’ll have, at least, a super interesting look. How will “Padre Pio” go over in Venice? We’ll find out soon enough, as the Venice Film Festival runs from August 31 to September 10. Watch the new trailer and a clip from the film below.