We know now that Luca Guadagnino’s next movie is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ gritty classic novel, Queer. Before his latest movie Challengers has even hit theatres — we have to wait until late summer for that one — he’s started shooting the next, meaning he’s finally chipping away at that never-ending slate of upcoming projects. We’re ecstatic, and are equally excited to learn that the project has found its heartthrob supporting actor.
The book on which Queer is based was written as a quasi-sequel to Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical book Junkie, which was released in 1953. But while Junkie dealt with heroin addiction and drug dealing, Queer’s homosexual themes were deemed too controversial for readers at the time, and it went unpublished until 1985.
The book is loosely inspired by Burroughs’ own life, and his time spent in Mexico City as his dependence on heroin started to wane. It follows Lee, a man wandering the bars and streets aimlessly among expats, surviving on the subsidies handed out by the US government following World War II. There, he encounters a young man called Allerton, and an infatuation with him begins. The books themes are heavier than some of Luca’s previous work, featuring sex, paedophilic undertones and drug abuse.
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The director has cast Daniel Craig to play Lee, while Drew Starkey — known for playing Rafe in Netflix’s Outer Banks — will play Allerton. Also attached are Lesley Manville of Phantom Thread fame, Jason Schwartzman who’ll next be seen in Asteroid City and Brazilian actor Henry Zaga. The film will be shot not in New Mexico, but on sound stages at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
There are also rumours swirling around the Queer adaptation that designer Jonathan Anderson will lend his costuming talents to not just one — as he announced via Instagram last March — but two movies by his “dear friend” Luca Guadagnino. Whether the mind behind Loewe will decide to push his practice further into cinema is anyone’s guess at this point, but we’ll appreciate the crossover event if and when it transpires.