Under the radiant Italian sun, Hollywood luminaries Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and the beloved 'Squid Game' sensation Hoyeon graced the red carpet alongside the visionary director, five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón. It seemed as if Cuarón was preparing to add yet another accolade to his already illustrious mantelpiece, this time potentially the size of an Emmy.
The world premiere of Cuarón's long-awaited streaming series debut, 'Disclaimer,' at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday evening, was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Apple Studios, Cuarón's collaborators, treated the black-tie audience to a cinematic feast, screening the first four episodes consecutively, akin to the opening half of an epic film marathon. Despite its extended runtime of over three hours, the audience leaped to their feet as the house lights illuminated Venice's historic Sala Grande cinema, showering the screen with adoration.
'Disclaimer,' a seven-chapter masterpiece based on Renée Knight's best-selling novel, unfolded beneath the unforgiving Italian sun as the star-studded cast traversed the Venice red carpet. Cate Blanchett, a beacon of elegance, ignited a flurry of cheers upon her arrival, clad in a minimalist yet captivating black pantsuit, featuring a plunging neckline and a cascading necklace of beads adorning her back. Her co-stars, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Louis Partidge, Leila George D'Onofrio, and the Gen-Z sensation Hoyeon, followed suit, each adding their own sparkle to the evening.
Hoyeon, a fashion icon and the breakout star of Netflix's 'Squid Game,' stole the hearts of the young festivalgoers lining the carpet, who erupted in cheers as she joined Blanchett for the cameras, becoming the center of attention.
'Disclaimer' weaves a tale of Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett), a renowned journalist whose reputation is built on exposing the misdeeds of others. However, when she receives a novel from an anonymous author, she is stunned to discover that she is now the protagonist in a narrative that unearths her darkest secrets. As Catherine embarks on a desperate quest to uncover the writer's identity, she is compelled to confront her past, lest it destroys her life and the bonds she shares with her husband Robert (Baron Cohen) and son Nicholas (Smit-McPhee).
Set to premiere globally on Apple TV+ on October 11 with the first two episodes, followed by weekly installments every Friday, 'Disclaimer' marks Cuarón's maiden voyage into series creation under his expansive deal with Apple Studios. Earlier in the day, Cuarón, Blanchett, and Kline shared insights into the making of the series with the press, revealing that they approached it as a singular, colossal film rather than a traditional TV series—a unique experience that the fortunate audience in Venice's Sala Grande was privy to.
