UPDATE: Right on cue, Amazon/MGM has officially set an October 10, 2025 release date for “After The Hunt.”
EARLIER: Fresh off a year that saw him release two well-reviewed films (“Challengers” and “Queer”) Luca Guadagnino has already shot his next one, “After the Hunt,” a Julia Roberts starring thriller that landed at Amazon/MGM Studios.
Guadagnino tells W Magazine that his buzzy film will be released in the fall, which means we might not get to see this one premiere at Cannes. Amazon/MGM is probably preparing an awards campaign for the film, and an inevitable premiere at Venice.
Guadagnino’s has yet to premiere anything at Cannes. If you include “Challengers,” seven of his nine films premiered on the Lido, the only exceptions being “Call Me By Your Name” which had a very successful bow at Sundance 2017, and 2005’s “Mellissa P.” which entirely skipped festivals.
“After the Hunt” was written by Nora Garrett (“Beirut”), and features an ensemble cast that includes Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Chloë Sevigny, Ayo Edibiri, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Cinematographer Malik Hassan (“Lemonade”) lenses the film.
The film test screened in December. Here’s what I wrote:
Roberts plays a Yale professor who hosts a dinner party for her colleagues and pupils. The next day, a student (Edibieri) accuses her professor (Garfield) of sexually assaulting her the night of the party. The rest of the film has Robert’s navigating the situation, making sense of the accusations, and trying to figure out who is the liar, just as a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.
“After the Hunt” is said to be highly stylized, albeit not in the in-your-face way of “Challengers” and “Queer.” Guadagnino tackles hot-button topics such as rape culture, trauma and #MeToo. Roberts is said to be “incredible” in the lead role, and this comes after Guadagnino himself told Marc Maron that he believes Roberts gives the performance of her career in the film.
[The film] is about what happens in the milieu of academia between older and younger people. It tackles the idea of consent. The movie is very provocative […] I’ve been a fan of Julia forever, as a movie star, she has something that not everybody has, and, I’m trying not to be presumptive, but I feel like this is the best performance she’s ever given.
Guadagnino goes on to state that “After the Hunt” is a very timely film about conflict and where we are now as a society. It is not a film about sexuality, or love, and it’s one of the rare times in his career where he hasn’t tackled those topics.
Deadline had previously reported that, for the last few years, “every A-list director and star” had been chasing this project since its inception in 2022.