A nearly three-hour epic examining the public and private life of Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe is having its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Thursday.
Blonde – one of the most anticipated films on the festival’s slate – is based on a work of biographical fiction by Joyce Carol Oates and takes in the star’s troubled childhood as Norma Jeane through to global stardom as Marilyn Monroe.
The film, by director Andrew Dominik, stars Ana de Armas, who was born in Cuba and worked with a dialect coach for a year to prepare for the role.
The cast also features Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller and Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio.
The Netflix film, produced by Brad Pitt’s company Plan B, will be available on the streaming service on September 23.
It is one of many Oscar hopefuls launching at the 79th edition of the Venice festival, and among the films up for the event’s awards on September 10.
