Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’ Has Begun Filming

Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’ has reportedly begun filming. The film stars Daniel Craig as an outcast American expat who lives in Mexico, and Drew Starkey stars as a younger man with whom he becomes madly infatuated. The filming begins at Rome’s refurbished Cinecittà Studios, where the Mexico City-set movie will be filmed in its entirety.

As per Luca Guadagnino, this is his second LGBTQIA+ film, which is based on the novel Queer by William S. Burroughs. It is a sequel to Junkie, which is considered an autobiography and was published in 1953. Along with Queer and Junkie, Burroughs is also behind the raw, masterpiece novel Naked Lunch. The screenplay is penned by Justin Kuritzkes.

According to L’Officiel USA, the film is inspired by the story told in William S. Burroughs’ dramatic novel. Protagonist Lee (Burroughs’ alter ego) lives in the “Interzone” between Mexico City and Panama. In the post-war historical context of the 1950s, the protagonist falls in love with Allerton, an ambiguous young man who wanders around promiscuous clubs populated by characters on the edge of society. These characters portray the crudity of heroin addiction, and issues related to pedophilia and sex, all told with the black humor of the author.

Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 15, 2023, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film has been rated R in the US by the MPAA for language, sexual content, and graphic nudity.