Venice Film Festival to open without "Challengers" and Zendaya

The US film "Challengers" will not open the Venice Film Festival next month as planned due to actors striking in North America, the organizers said on Friday.
The US film "Challengers," which was was supposed to open the festival, will be replaced by "Comandante" by director Edoardo De Angelis.
"Challengers, the movie by Luca Guadagnino that had previously been announced, will not participate at the Festival following a decision made by the production," the festival said in a statement.
The 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival starts at the end of August.
According to US media, the opening date for the tennis-themed film has been pushed back to 2024, even though filming is completed.
The reason for this is that the producers of "Challengers" fear that the film could be less successful without the active marketing work of lead actress Zendaya, who has more than 180 million Instagram followers.
Because of the strikes by the actors' union SAG-AFTRA in the US and Canada, Zendaya is not allowed to promote her film or perform in Venice. The same applies to actors Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, who also took part in the film.
Actors and actresses in several cities in the US have also walked off the job, joining screenwriters who have been on strike since the beginning of May.
It is the first time since 1960 that actors and screenwriters have walked out together.
The dispute revolves around pay and the use of artificial intelligence. SAG-AFTRA has 160,000 members.
With a few exceptions, all filming with actors and actresses will have to be stopped, the union says. According to US media, shooting of films and series is practically at a standstill.