Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer' Scores Distro Deal In Advance of Sept. 3 Venice Film Festival Premiere

Luca Guadagnino's Daniel Craig-starring adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel hasn't yet had its premiere, but it's already got huge buzz... and now, thanks to A24, a distribution deal.

"On Wednesday (August 28), it was announced that the entertainment company acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the 53-year-old Italian director's new movie," Just Jared reported.

"Queer" marks the second collaboration between the "Call Me by Your Name" director and screenwriter Justin Kurtizkes, who also penned "Challengers," Guadagnino's hit from earlier this year starring Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, and Zendaya.

Only a few days ago it seemed that the film might be headed to its Sept. 3 premiere at the Venice Film Festival without a distributor. As EDGE reported, Guadagnino's new movie suffered deep cuts to reduce its running time, most likely to make the film more attractive to distributors.

World of Reel detailed that, according to Italian outlet Lucy Sulla Cultura, the head of the film festival, Alberto Barbera, the cuts removed scenes of Craig's character, Lee, cruising gay clubs in 1950s Mexico City.

"I've seen two versions of the film," Barbera told the outlet, adding that "the one that will screen is the third, and shortest; it lasts 135 minutes."

"The first version was 200 minutes," Barbera went on to say, and "the second was 150 minutes."

"It's a sorry situation," Barbera added, before expressing regret that "you won't get to see the original cut, because I know exactly what Luca cut out: All of [Daniel] Craig's wanderings in the gay clubs of Mexico City, with this incredible fauna of gay life, in search of adventure."

Expressing his hope for a director's cut to restore the original longer running time, Barbera said that the excised footage "was far from inessential to the story and the construction of the character."

Guadagnino has said that the film is his "most personal," telling an audience at at the Pesaro International Film Festival in Italy in June that the there will be abundant sex scenes in the film and teasing that they would be "quite scandalous..."

Early reports suggest that Craig delivers an outstanding performance in the film – an opinion that was confirmed by Barbera, who called "Queer" "the best film by Luca Guadagnino so far," and added, "the performance of Danny Craig is absolutely outstanding. I think it's the performance of his life."

Variety reported that Luca and Craig put out a joint statement in which they expressed their enthusiasm for A24's involvement, saying, "'Queer' is a labor of love, and we could not be more excited that our film has found a home with a studio as daring, vital, and trail-blazing as A24."

Added the director and star: "It is our deep honor to finally bring Burroughs' legendary novel to life on screen for the first time, and we feel immense gratitude and excitement to be able to present it alongside our treasured collaborators."

"We could not ask for better partners on this journey," they said.