April 28, 2008–The Coen brothers Burn After Reading will open the 65th Venice Film Festival.
World preem of the dark spy comedy, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton.
The Universal film will launch the Venice Lido Aug. 27, ahead of its U.K. release September 5, and will be released in the U.S. by Focus Features September 12.
“Burn After This” revolves around an ousted CIA official, played by John Malkovich, whose memoir falls into the hands of two Washington, D.C., gym employees, who decide to attempt to exploit their find.
The feature is a Working Title production, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and executive-produced by Working Titles Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Robert Graf.
It has not been decided yet whether Burn After Reading will unspool in competition or out-of-competition. No Country for Old Men launched last year from Cannes in competish.
The Coens were last in Venice in 2003 with Intolerable Cruelty, starring Clooney opposite Catherine Zeta Jones, which played out-of-competition.
Burn marks the second consecutive year a film from the Working Title stable opens Venice, following Atonement last year.
The Venice Film Festival runs August 27-September 6.