The Venice Film Festival commences its 81st edition on Wednesday with the premiere of Tim Burton's “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which key cast members Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe are all confirmed to attend. For the following nine days, the Palazzo del Cinema’s red carpet will be the most star-studded place on the planet.

After suffering the impact of last year’s Hollywood strikes which prevented most top talents from making the trek, Venice has now outdone itself with a steady stream of big names lined up to light up the Lido and grab global headlines.

Angelina Jolie will be arriving Thursday for the world premiere of Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic “Maria,” where she plays the leading role. Venice film festival director Alberto Barbera has stated that Jolie will not be sharing the spotlight with her estranged husband Brad Pitt, amid ongoing legal proceedings, as Larrain and Jolie will depart for Telluride soon after the premiere. Pitt is set to arrive on the Lido Sunday with George Clooney for Jon Watts-directed action comedy “Wolfs,” which sees the two Hollywood heavyweights playing lone wolves forced to collaborate on covering up a high-profile crime.

Also on Thursday, Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline will be present for Alfonso Cuarón’s gripping TV series “Disclaimer,” in which Blanchett plays an investigative journalist who becomes the main character in a story that exposes her deepest secrets.

On Friday, Nicole Kidman, Antonio Banderas and Harris Dickinson are anticipated to grace the premiere of Dutch director Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller “Babygirl,” while “Call My Agent” star Camille Cottin will be making an appearance for French director Emmanuel Moret’s romantic comedy “Trois Amies.”

Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult and Tye Sheridan will be gracing the red carpet on Saturday for Australian director Justin Kurzel’s thriller “The Order.”

Sunday, alongside “Wolfs,” will witness the debut of Brady Corbet's “The Brutalist” featuring Adrien Brody — who portrays László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust — in attendance.

In an uncommon surge for Venice – which is typically a top-heavy festival – Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton will arrive at the Lido on Monday for Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature film, “The Room Next Door”; on Tuesday, fans will be excited for Daniel Craig who, transitioning from his Bond roles, portrays a wistful American expatriate who falls for a younger man, played by Drew Starkey (also in attendance, of course) in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burroughs' work, “Queer”; and on Wednesday Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix will be present for “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Todd Phillips’ edgy musical continuation of his 2019 Golden Lion award-winning “Joker”, which secured Phoenix a best actor Oscar in 2020.

This edition of Venice appears set to solidify its position as the leading force in the Oscars race, particularly in the acting and best picture categories. Four of the past 10 best picture Oscar winners have made their debut at the Lido. Two of these films, Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” and Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” had previously also claimed the Golden Lion. Last year’s Golden Lion winner, Yorgos Lanthimos “Poor Things,” earned Emma Stone her second best actress Oscar after her win for “La La Land,” which also premiered at Venice.

In an interview with Variety immediately after announcing his lineup, Barbera expressed specific admiration for Craig’s role in “Queer” and Phoenix’s performance in “Joker 2.” “I would be surprised if they didn’t end up vying for the top honors both in Venice and at the Oscars,” he stated.

Isabelle Huppert will preside over the main jury. It will be interesting to see what decisions the esteemed French actress and her jury panel will make and how Barbera’s predictions play out.

The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival will take place from August 28th to September 7th.