Gia Coppola's ‘The Last Showgirl' Aims for Fall Fests; Oscar Nominee, Pamela Anderson?

Here’s another potential title for Venice/Telluride.

Earlier in the year, Gia Coppola wrapped production on her latest film, “The Last Showgirl,” which I’m starting to hear very interesting things about. It's most likely being submitted to Venice.

The film stars Pamela Anderson in what could very well be an Oscar-worthy performance. Yes, I know, kind of insane to even think about that, but she could be a major underdog story this awards season. This fits well in the same trajectory as Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).

“The Last Showgirl” also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd. Deadline reports it “follows a seasoned showgirl (Anderson) who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. As a dancer in her fifties, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she strives to repair a strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat to her showgirl family.”

Coppola’s last film, “Mainstream,” was part of the pandemic-afflicted 2020 edition of Venice, but I’m hearing this one’s a worthier film and, more importantly, is a major showcase for Anderson. It’s also very likely headed to Telluride — that fest’s director, Julie Huntsinger, hasn’t locked her lineup just yet, but “The Last Showgirl” is a major possibility.

Anderson, 56, is known for her lead turn in the kitschy early ‘90s series “Baywatch,” she’s rarely been given a meaty dramatic role in her career. I’m not saying “The Last Showgirl” is a guaranteed winner, but some signs are starting to point towards us having to take this film a little more seriously in the fall.

We now add Coppola’s film to our evolving list of 25 contenders for Venice competition:

Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer”
Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door”
Pablo Larrain’s “Maria”
Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie a Deux”
Lucrecia Martel’s “Chocobar”
Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths”
Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here”
Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hands of Dante”
Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist”
Francois Ozon’s “When Fall Is Coming,”
Michel Franco’s “Dreams”
Sebastian Lelio’s “The Wave”
Tom Tykwer’s “The Light”
Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl”
Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “Those Who Find Me”
Emmanuel Mouret’s “Une Chose et Son Contraire”
Pietro Marcello’s “Duze”
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cloud”
Zoran Boukherma’s “Their Children After Them”
Maura Delpero’s “The Mountain Bride”
Yeo Siew Hua’s “Stranger Eyes”
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s “Harvest”
Wei Shuju’s “Sunshine Club”
Gianni Amelio’s “Battlefield”
Gabriele Salvatores’ “Napoli”
Marco Tullio Giordana’s “The Life Apart”
Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s “Iddu”