The 80th Venice International Film Festival will see fewer renowned luminaries from Hollywood, given the ongoing strikes by the actors' and screenwriters' unions. This was illustrated by the T-shirts donned by this year's jury members, filmmakers Laura Poitras and Martin McDonagh, during a photocall at the festival's opening on August 30.

Due to the strikes, Italian director Luca Guadagnino's "Challengers" had to postpone its big premiere. The film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist, was previously announced to kick off the 80th annual festival. But the Oscar-nominated "Call Me By Your Name" director nevertheless showed up on the red carpet; as a producer, he is showcasing two other works at the Venice film fest.

The strikes could also prove to be the opportunity for European filmmakers to enjoy the spotlight. Edoardo De Angelis' Italian World War II submarine drama "Comandante," which is running in competition, enjoyed its world premiere screening after taking over the slot vacated by Guadagnino's film.

Damien Chazelle, who is president of the Venice jury this year, has previously opened the Venice International Film Festival with his films on two occasions: In 2016 with "La La Land" and in 2018 with "First Man." "La La Land" received 14 Academy Award nominations, winning six, including the award for best director, making the then 32-year-old the youngest filmmaker ever to win the coveted Oscar.

Italian filmmaking legend Liliana Cavani has been awarded the Golden Lion award for her life's work. "I'm the first female person to receive this award. There are women writers and directors who are working as well as men. It's not quite right if we don't give them a chance to be seen," she said. The 90-year-old's new film, "The Order of Time," is running out of competition at the festival.

English actor and Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling presented the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Liliana Cavani, who directed the 1974 psychosexual Holocaust drama "The Night Porter" that starred Rampling and Dirk Bogarde. In a powerful speech dedicated to Cavani, Rampling said, "From the early 1960s, Cavani has been forcing us to confront the beautiful, the ugly and the unresolved."

While this year's red carpet in Venice might lack the usual pizazz and viral fashion of previous editions, actor Charlotte Rampling's shoes were an eye-catcher. The 77-year-old elegant minimalist and icon accessorized her elegant black dress with a pair of funky shoes that featured circular acrylic heels.

Italian model Mariacarla Boscono also made a striking appearance on the red carpet on opening night, channeling Little Red Riding Hood with a fiery red diaphanous Dolce & Gabbana outfit. She accessorized it with matching thigh-high stocking boots and sheer red gloves for dramatic effect.

Another big name on the attendance list: cult director Wes Anderson. He will be awarded the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award on Friday, before the screening of his new film which is out of competition, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar." Known for films like "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Rushmore," Anderson's latest is a short film based on a story by author Roald Dahl.

It has been reported that 007 producers had made a "formal offer" to Aaron Taylor-Johnson to become the next James Bond, following veteran Daniel Craig. The "Tenet" actor has since distanced himself from the rumors, though he also suggested in a "Rolling Stone UK" interview that it was simply too early to talk about it.

"No Time to Die" was Bond veteran Daniel Craig's last spy film and the 25th in the 007 series produced by Eon Productions. It was his fifth and final portrayal of the fictional British MI6 agent. Beyond Taylor-Johnson, who else has been considered to take over?

Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy has slipped down the pecking order it would seem in recent weeks, but still has an outside chance of being the first Irish Bond. At least we know he can put on an accent, as ably demonstrated in his Brummie role in "Peaky Blinders."

As soon as reports started spreading that Daniel Craig wanted out, everyone started speculating on who would become the next 007. People even started betting on it. "Homeland" star Damian Lewis was among the early bookmakers favorites, but has since faded away.

Is the world ready for a Ms. Bond? Even if she's unsuccessful in nabbing the role of the famous British spy, the prospect of a female Bond is certainly an intriguing one. The "Sex Education" therapist definitely has the charisma and sex appeal needed for the character.

Even if the rumors seem a little far-fetched, some fans still hold out hope that the former soccer star will take on the role. The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid footballer may look the part in a tuxedo — but can he act?

Famous for his iconic depictions of drug lord Stringer Bell in the TV series "The Wire" and detective John Luther in "Luther," this charismatic Golden Globe-award winner knows how to handle a gun. He got turned off from the idea, however, when the discussion only "became about race," he said in 2023, which made the "whole thing disgusting and off-putting."

Another outsider, the pop star has already demonstrated his affection for Bond in the 1998 song, "Millennium." In the video, Williams parodied 007, dressed in a tuxedo, driving an Aston Martin, surrounded by beautiful women in fluffy negligees. The singer has since matured, with gray streaks. But maybe it only adds to the allure. Whether a singing Bond can save the world is another question.

Eddie Brock/Venom from the "Venom" films was another favorite among bookies. From "Black Hawk Down" to "Mad Max," Hardy has starred in all kinds of action films, and even in a Cold War espionage movie, "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy," so he's got enough experience for the role. He's got style, too, and has landed on different lists of sexiest men alive. Enough said.

Dark, morbid and poetic: The film adaptation of Anne Rice's novel was arguably Brad Pitt's international breakthrough. He plays a vampire who is about 200 years old and feels pity for his victims, a story he chronicles to a reporter. In the other leading roles: Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst, who was only eleven at the time.

A serial killer plays a brutal game of cat and mouse with a young detective (Pitt) and his partner Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) in a rainy US city. He stages the seven deadly sins with his murder victims, and eventually turns Mills into a murderer himself with his cruelest "coup." An ingenious mixture of horror, thriller and film noir.

After a tragically failed prank, four boys end up in a home where they are severely abused by the wardens. Years later, two of the four boys track down and shoot their most hated tormentor and end up in court. The prosecutor is the third of the group (Pitt), who, together with the fourth, a journalist, does everything in their power to lose the case and take revenge on the other perpetrators.

In the role of the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, Brad Pitt once again impressively shows that he is more than a blond pretty boy: His character is rugged, cold, lonely and vulnerable. Commissioned by the Nazis to climb Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, Harrer falls into British captivity, manages to escape and meets the young Dalai Lama. A deep friendship develops.

The narrator (Ed Norton) is a frustrated office worker who meets a charismatic anti-consumerist, Tyler Durden (Pitt). He encourages Pitt to beat him up, before the two roam the city looking for more men who want to engage in bare-knuckle fistfights. A secret "fight club" is founded, where men fight each other and return to everyday life feeling stronger. But Durden has bigger plans.

The three-part "Ocean's" series got off to a furious start in 2001 with a star-studded cast. Brad Pitt plays Rusty, one of the eleven crooks around Danny Ocean (George Clooney) who want to rob the biggest casino in Las Vegas. With the stellar leads, casually elegant production, fast cuts and the jazzy, funky soundtrack, director Steven Soderbergh delivered perfect popcorn cinema.

A genuine sandal film was apparently still missing from Brad Pitt's repertoire. In "Troy," inspired by Homer's Greek hero saga "Iliad" and shot by German director Wolfgang Petersen, Pitt plays the strong man Achilles. Pitt convincingly portrays the warrior with his heroics but also his human side.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," in which the future spouses both played assassins. Their profession is so secret, however, that neither are aware that the other is a killer. Until, without suspecting it, they are ordered to hit each other. Pitt and Jolie became a Hollywood dream couple after the filming, but in 2016, Jolie filed for divorce.

Quentin Tarantino's classic comedic war film brought together German, Austrian and US actors in a unique ensemble cast. Pitt (right) plays a Nazi hunter in World War II who leads a squad of underground fighters. He encounters the Nazi commander Landa (Christoph Waltz), who is as cruel as he is smart, and of whom he makes a bloody example at the end.

This Tarantino film won Brad Pitt an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It follows an aging Western star (Leonardo di Caprio) and his stunt double Cliff (Pitt) for 24 hours through Hollywood in 1969, and throws everything in: Drugs, alcohol, hippies and a murderous family, which also provides a classic Tarantino bloodbath at the end.

Hitman Ladybug (Pitt, left) is supposed to do a job on a Japanese bullet train. Unfortunately, he has colleagues on board who get in his way. They each have their own job, but they all seem to have something to do with each other. That's why the hellish journey doesn't end at the final station. The film will be released in German cinemas on August 4.