Luca Guadagnino’s highly-anticipated film Queer has been picked up for distribution by A24.
In a statement, the director and lead actor Daniel Craig described the upcoming LGBTQIA+ drama as a “labor of love, and we could not be more excited that our film has found a home,” before describing the studio as “daring, vital and trailblazing”.
“It is our deep honor to finally bring Burroughs’ legendary novel to life on screen for the first time, and we feel immense gratitude and excitement to be able to present it alongside our treasured collaborators,” they continued. “We could not ask for better partners on this journey.”
Set in 1940s Mexico City, the film stars the James Bond icon as Lee, a man on the run from a drug bust in New Orleans. In Mexico, he becomes obsessed with Allerton, a discharged serviceman from the American Navy.
Allerton is played by Drew Starkey, best known for his supporting performances in films such as Love, Simon (2018), Hellraiser (2022) and The Other Zoey (2023). Since 2020, he has played Rafe in Netflix’s mystery teen drama Outer Banks.
Queer is based on William S. Burrough’s 1985 short novel of the same name, which explores themes such as homosexuality, sex and drug abuse.
According to Guadagnino, the film will include “numerous and quite scandalous” sex scenes between Craig and Starkey.
The ensemble cast also includes Jason Shwartzman as Frank Cochan, Lesley Manville as Alice Cochan, Henry Zaga as Winston Moor, Drew Droege as John Dume, Ariel Schulman as Tom Weston, Colin Bates as Tom Williams, Ronia Ava as Joan and Perla Ambrosini as Lee’s mother.
Queer will mark the acting debut of singer-songwriter Omar Apollo, whose role in the film is currently undisclosed.
It also marks Guadagnino’s second film of the year after Challengers, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. Released to universal acclaim, the sports dramedy was praised for its queer subtext.
The director is also known to LGBTQIA+ audiences for his Academy Award-nominated drama Call Me By Your Name.
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