Luca Guadagnino's unrealized projects

After the 1991 publication of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho in Italy, Guadagnino himself wrote a script adaptation of the novel. "I was obsessed with the book," he later said. "I was very sad when they made the movie because I wanted to make the movie."{{cite web|last=Guadagnino|first=Luca|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4h3HGh4NiE|title=Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name, Queer) est dans le Video Club 🔥|publisher=Konbini|via=YouTube|date=February 22, 2025|access-date=February 23, 2025|format=video}}{{cite web|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/2/23/nyzc18p2g2ys59s3wr14wa78icobmy|title=Luca Guadagnino Never Saw 'American Psycho' Until "Quite Recently"|website=World of Reel|date=February 23, 2025|access-date=February 23, 2025}} In October 2024, Guadagnino was entering final negotiations to direct a "new interpretation" of American Psycho, with Scott Z. Burns adapting for Lionsgate.{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |title=Luca Guadagnino To Direct New 'American Psycho' Movie At Lionsgate With Scott Z. Burns Set To Adapt |url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/american-psycho-movie-luca-guadagnino-1236120177/ |website=Deadline |access-date=18 October 2024 |date=18 October 2024}}{{cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |title=Luca Guadagnino in Talks to Direct New 'American Psycho' Film for Lionsgate |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/luca-guadagnino-american-psycho-lionsgate-1236035288/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=18 October 2024 |date=18 October 2024}} It was rumored that Jacob Elordi would star in the lead role as Patrick Bateman, however that December, Variety confirmed that Austin Butler would be playing Bateman.{{cite web|title=Austin Butler to Star as Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino's 'American Psycho'|website=Variety|first1=Elsa|last1=Keslassy|first2=Tatiana|last2=Seigel|first3=Marc|last3=Malkin|date=11 December 2024|access-date=11 December 2024|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/austin-butler-luca-guadagnino-american-psycho-1236245941/}} At CinemaCon 2025, Guadagnino updated that "the script is coming out very handsomely" and that he was "in conversation with very exciting performers to play the leads."{{cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |title=Luca Guadagnino Teases New 'American Psycho' Movie |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/american-psycho-movie-luca-guadagnino-1236177949/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=1 April 2025 |access-date=30 April 2025}}

In the early 1990s, Guadagnino wrote a script for a short film he wanted to do "on [the subject of] the male body", based on the "Penny Arcade Peep Show" excerpt from The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead by William S. Burroughs.{{cite magazine|last=Larocca|first=Amy|url=https://nymag.com/movies/features/66159/|title=The Actor's Non-Actor|magazine=New York|date=May 19, 2010|access-date=February 5, 2025}}{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Dana|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/t-magazine/luca-guadagnino-home-italy-interior-design.html|title=One Italian Filmmaker's Ultimate Set — His Own Home|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 1, 2016|access-date=February 5, 2025}}{{cite web|last=Romney|first=Jonathan|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3f3bTBgAt4&si=U-I2Ri9s8Cfywl2A|title=Luca Guadagnino on Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All and his career | BFI in conversation|publisher=British Film Institute|via=YouTube|date=March 23, 2023|access-date=January 12, 2025|format=video}} By late 1993, he sent British actress Tilda Swinton a letter via her agent, hoping to solicite her collaboration on the basis of her performances in Caravaggio and Orlando.{{cite web|last=Shoard|first=Catherine|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/01/tilda-swinton-luca-guadagnino-interview|title=Tilda Swinton and Luca Guadagnino: a match made in arthouse cinema heaven|website=The Guardian|date=April 1, 2010|access-date=February 5, 2025}}{{cite magazine|last=Davis|first=Johnny|url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a23400312/suspiria-director-luca-guadagnino-on-his-ultra-gory-italian-horror-film/|title='Suspiria' Director Luca Guadagnino On His Ultra-Gory Italian Horror Film|magazine=Esquire|date=September 24, 2018|access-date=February 5, 2025}} After receiving no response back, a few months later, Guadagnino read that she would be in Rome for a panel about the late film director Derek Jarman. He accosted her outside the theater following the event, asking her to appear in the short film.{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Cath|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/dec/31/first-sight-luca-guadagnino|title=First sight: Luca Guadagnino|website=The Guardian|date=December 31, 2009|access-date=February 5, 2025}} "He said, 'I never made the film, because you never replied'," Swinton later recalled. She agreed, and stayed at Guadagnino's student house in Rome for a couple of days over the summer. "She was incredibly cool. The coolest," said Guadagnino. "After three days, she said, 'We are going to be partners in crime and the crime is cinema.'" While voice recordings of Swinton exist, and some footage allegedly shot, the film was abandoned and never completed after they ran out of money. The two would later instead go on to collaborate on his feature debut, the pseudo-documentary The Protagonists.

In 2009, following their collaboration on I Am Love, Guadagnino and star Tilda Swinton had "high hopes" to reunite for a Hollywood remake of 1958's Auntie Mame. Guadagnino stated to Variety that they both envisioned their version being set in the present-day and done as a "rock-n-roll, super funny, super mainstream movie", adding that only Swinton could "do justice" to the story.{{cite magazine|author=Variety Staff|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/swinton-feels-the-love-for-mame-1118008177/|title=Swinton feels the love for 'Mame'|magazine=Variety|date=September 7, 2009|access-date=January 6, 2025}} The project has been described as one of his "dearest desires" as a director.{{cite magazine|author=Variety Staff|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/director-to-watch-luca-guadagnino-1118014061/|title=Director to Watch: Luca Guadagnino|magazine=Variety|date=January 20, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2025}} Plans for the remake with Guadagnino attached were in place as of December 2011.{{cite news|author=Isherwood, Charles|author-link=Charles Isherwood|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/movies/awardsseason/tilda-swinton-discusses-her-career.html|title=Alien Laborer in the Hollywood Factory|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 30, 2011|access-date=January 7, 2025}} However, by 2016, Swinton was presumably moving forward without his involvement, enlisting the duties of Annie Mumolo to write the adaptation.{{cite web|last=Ivie|first=Devon|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/auntie-mame-being-adapted-with-tilda-swinton.html|title=A Modern-Day Auntie Mame Is Being Specially Adapted for Tilda Swinton|website=Vulture|date=July 26, 2016|access-date=January 7, 2025}}

In late 2010, Guadagnino signed on to direct the mafia thriller Corsica '72 for Ruby Films. The screenplay by writing duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade was featured on The Black List in 2009 and is based on the true story of a stand-off between two former best friends, one a local man and the other, head of the Mafia.{{cite web|last=Cooper|first=Sarah|url=https://www.screendaily.com/production/i-am-love-director-gears-up-for-corsica-72/5021085.article|title=I Am Love director gears up for Corsica '72|website=Screen Daily|date=December 2, 2010|access-date=January 6, 2025}} The director's position was preceded by Oliver Hirschbiegel and was succeeded by Park Chan-wook,{{cite magazine|last=Sneider|first=Jeff|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/park-sets-course-for-corsica-72-1118059381/|title=Park sets course for 'Corsica 72'|magazine=Variety|date=September 17, 2012|access-date=January 6, 2025}} though the film was never made.

In 2011, it was reported that Guadagnino was to make his English-language film debut for Scott Free Productions and StudioCanal, based on his original screenplay. Set on the island of Pantelleria, Guadagnino described the film as "a rock 'n' roll anthem of sex, love, murder and emotional rescue: A dive into the politics of desire between man and woman where one plus one makes four on the raw island of Pantelleria, lost in the Mediterranean." StudioCanal, who was providing financing, confirmed that the budget was under $30 million. It was set to feature both a U.S. and European cast.{{cite magazine|author1=Hopewell, John|author2=Keslassy, Elsa|url=https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/guadagnino-sets-english-lingo-pic-1118042223/ |title=Guadagnino sets English-lingo pic|magazine=Variety|date=September 4, 2011|access-date=January 6, 2025}} Though untitled, the project was referred to as a thriller in subsequent reports.{{cite magazine|author=Lodderhose, Diana|url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/euros-polish-hollywood-accent-1118045199/|title=Euros polish Hollywood accent|magazine=Variety|date=October 29, 2011|access-date=January 6, 2025}} Principal photography was reportedly set for 2012,{{cite magazine|author=Variety Staff|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/markets-festivals/cinema-italiano-2012-gets-serious-1118049240/|title=Cinema Italiano 2012 gets serious|magazine=Variety|date=February 3, 2012|access-date=January 6, 2025}} but no further announcements followed. Guadagnino would later utilize the setting of Pantelleria for his remake of La Piscine, A Bigger Splash.

In 2012, Guadagnino was reportedly in discussions with financiers to direct an adaptation of the James Ellroy novel The Big Nowhere, to be produced by Heyday Films' David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford, along with Maurizio Grimaldi.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2012/09/uta-signs-lo-sono-lamore-helmer-luca-guadagnino-329169/|title=UTA Signs 'Io Sono L'amore' Helmer Luca Guadagnino|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=September 4, 2012|access-date=June 2, 2024}}

In January 2013, it was reported by Variety that Guadagnino would direct Body Art, his screenplay adaptation of Don DeLillo's The Body Artist with Isabelle Huppert, Denis Lavant and David Cronenberg lined up to star.{{cite magazine|last=Hopewell|first=John|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/cronenberg-delillo-branco-reteam-for-body-art-1118065323/|title=Cronenberg, DeLillo, Branco reteam for 'Body Art'|magazine=Variety|date=January 29, 2013|access-date=January 7, 2025}} Sigourney Weaver joined the cast the following month.{{cite web|last=Macnab|first=Geoffrey|url=https://www.screendaily.com/sigourney-weaver-joins-body-art/5051779.article|title=Sigourney Weaver joins Body Art|website=Screen Daily|date=February 10, 2013|access-date=January 7, 2025}} Shooting was scheduled for summer that year. Benoît Jacquot signed on to direct a new adaptation in 2015 and the film, titled Never Ever, was released the next year but without the involvement of Guadagnino or his cast.{{cite web|last=Destouches|first=Thomas|url=https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18646148.html|title=Mathieu Amalric sera le Body Artist de Benoît Jacquot|website=AlloCiné|date=September 28, 2015|access-date=January 7, 2025|language=fr}}

In 2014, Sony Pictures hired Guadagnino to replace Sam Taylor-Johnson as director on a film adaptation of Robert Goolrick's romantic period thriller novel A Reliable Wife, written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was planned to be shot in winter that year.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2014/02/sony-sets-luca-guadagnino-to-helm-680629/|title=Sony Sets Luca Guadagnino To Helm 'A Reliable Wife'|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=June 2, 2024}}

In May 2017, it was announced Guadagnino was attached to direct Rio from a screenplay by Steven Knight, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal to star.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/benedict-cumberbatch-jake-gyllenhaal-movie-rio-1202424722|title=Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal in Talks to Star in Drama 'Rio'|website=Variety|first=Justin|last=Kroll|date=12 May 2017|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-date=27 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227034752/http://variety.com/2017/film/news/benedict-cumberbatch-jake-gyllenhaal-movie-rio-1202424722/|url-status=live}} In November 2017, Michelle Williams joined the project.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/michelle-williams-rio-benedict-cumberbatch-jake-gyllenhaal-1202617247|title=Michelle Williams Eyes 'Rio' With Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal|website=Variety|first=Justin|last=Kroll|date=16 November 2017|access-date=24 February 2018|archive-date=24 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224114445/http://variety.com/2017/film/news/michelle-williams-rio-benedict-cumberbatch-jake-gyllenhaal-1202617247/|url-status=live}} However, in a profile for The New Yorker, Guadagnino said that the timing did not work out and he subsequently left the project.{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/luca-guadagninos-cinema-of-desire |title=Luca Guadagnino's Cinema of Desire |newspaper=The New Yorker |first=Nathan |last=Heller |date=October 8, 2018 |access-date=28 November 2024}}

In July 2017, Guadagnino signed up to direct a pitch from Kristina Lauren Anderson inspired by the classic ballet story Swan Lake, with Felicity Jones in the lead role. Several studios including Universal, Paramount and TriStar bid for the film rights to the project, which was described as a "tentpole adaptation" of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet, that would follow the material closely.{{cite web|last=Ford|first=Rebecca|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/swan-lake-pitch-starring-felicity-jones-sparks-bidding-war-1018356/|title='Swan Lake' Pitch Starring Felicity Jones Sparks Bidding War (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 6, 2017|access-date=April 6, 2024}}

Guadagnino first alluded to making a sequel to Call Me by Your Name in November 2017,{{cite web|last1=Buchanan|first1=Jyle|title=Call Me by Your Name Director Luca Guadagnino on Armie Hammer, Sequels, and Screen Intimacy|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/director-luca-guadagnino-talks-call-me-by-your-name-sequels.html|website=Vulture|access-date=5 April 2024|date=November 17, 2017}} and confirmed in March 2018 he was working on the story with writer André Aciman.{{cite web|last1=Jensen|first1=Erin|title=Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino confirms film's sequel, details plot|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/03/04/call-me-your-name-director-luca-guadagnino-confirms-films-sequel-details-plot/393824002/|website=USA Today|access-date=5 April 2024|date=March 4, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://collider.com/call-me-by-your-name-sequels-interview-luca-guadagnino/#sequels|title=Director Luca Guadagnino on 'Call Me by Your Name' and the Possibility of Sequels|date=16 January 2018|work=Collider|access-date=11 February 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=8 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208035228/https://collider.com/call-me-by-your-name-sequels-interview-luca-guadagnino/#sequels|url-status=live}} Timothee Chalamet would announce in October that same year he and Armie Hammer were intending to return for the sequel,{{cite magazine|last1=Lansky|first1=Sam|title=Timothee Chalamet on a Call Me By Your Name Sequel: "Armie and I Are 1000% In"|url=https://time.com/5414291/timothee-chalamet-call-me-by-your-name-sequel/|magazine=Time|access-date=5 April 2024|date=October 5, 2018}} and Guadagnino would approach Dakota Johnson for a role.{{cite magazine|last1=Heller|first1=Nathan|title=Luca Guadagnino's Cinema of Desire|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/luca-guadagninos-cinema-of-desire|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=5 April 2024|date=October 8, 2018}} In a March 2020 interview, Guadagnino reiterated that the film, entitled Find Me,{{cite web|last1=D'Alessandro|first1=Anthony|title=Luca Guadagnino Set To Direct Universal's Scarface Reboot|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-scarface-at-universal-1202934885/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=May 14, 2020}} was set to be made, with Michael Stuhlbarg and Esther Garrel also set for role reprisals. However plans were put on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|url=https://rep.repubblica.it/pwa/intervista/2020/03/16/news/luca_guadagnino-251474817/|title=Luca Guadagnino: "Anche in una scarpa c'è il genio italiano"|last=Finos|first=Arianna|date=March 16, 2020|website=la Repubblica|language=it|archive-date=April 3, 2020|access-date=April 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403075816/https://rep.repubblica.it/pwa/intervista/2020/03/16/news/luca_guadagnino-251474817/|url-status=live}} In May 2021, Guadagnino would cast doubts on the film being made as a result of his and Chalamet's other commitments, in addition to several abuse allegations being levied against Hammer.{{cite web|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title=Luca Guadagnino On Reuniting With Timothée Chalamet, Moving Away From Call Me By Your Name Sequel & Adding Michael Stuhlbarg, David Gordon Green And More To His First U.S. Film Bones And All|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/luca-guadagnino-on-reuniting-with-timothee-chalamet-moving-away-from-call-me-by-your-name-sequel-adding-michael-stuhlberg-david-gordon-green-and-more-to-his-first-u-s-film-bones-and-all-1234765988/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=May 28, 2021}}

In 2022 Guadagnino implied that he still liked the idea of following Elio's story.{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/luca-guadagnino-timothee-chalamet-bones-and-all-interview-1234758853/|title=Luca Guadagnino Has More Plans for Timothée Chalamet After 'Bones & All,' Including a 'Call Me' Followup|date=6 September 2022|work=IndieWire|access-date=26 March 2024|language=en-US}} That same year he told Variety, "I would love to make a second and third and fourth chapter of all my movies, Why? Because I truly love the actors I work with, so I want to repeat the joy of doing what we did together." Adding, "there is no hypothesis, so there is no movie. It’s a wish and a desire, and I have not made up my mind about what would be the story."{{Cite web|title=Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell Will Eat You Alive: How 'Bones and All' Became the Year's Sexiest Cannibal Love Story|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/features/bones-and-all-timothee-chalamet-taylor-russell-cannibal-movie-1235432910#recipient_hashed=ceda9ce92d353d005479ddc8bee4521d81386c4e04b2f8c173868b6f2a857ee3&recipient_salt=d3d49b6fee1be9a42a674414115402c860effaccf064ef72bdf4aa865b99e708|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|date=16 November 2022|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=26 March 2024}}

In the autumn/winter 2017 issue of Fantastic Man, Guadagnino stated that his dream project was an adaptation of Thomas Mann's 1901 novel Buddenbrooks, and that making it "would in a way encompass all my themes in one story."{{cite magazine|author=Jonkers, Gert|url=https://www.fantasticman.com/articles/luca-guadagnino/|title=Escapades with Luca Guadagnino|magazine=Fantastic Man|date=Autumn–Winter 2017|number=26}} In 2024, Guadagnino announced officially that he was developing Buddenbrooks (alongside writer Francesca Manieri), which he saw as a companion piece to his film Queer.{{cite web|last=O'Falt|first=Chris|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/luca-guadagnino-bernardo-bertolucci-documentary-thomas-mann-film-1235057454/|title=Luca Guadagnino Is Already Editing His Bernardo Bertolucci Doc, and Adapting His Other Favorite Novel After 'Queer'|website=IndieWire|date=October 16, 2024|access-date=October 24, 2024}}{{cite magazine|author=Obrist, Hans Ulrich|author-link=Hans Ulrich Obrist|url=https://curamagazine.com/digital/luca-guadagnino-with-hans-ulrich-obrist/|title=Luca Guadagnino with Hans Ulrich Obrist|magazine=CURA.|date=December 12, 2024|number=43}}

In the same Fantastic Man interview, Guadagnino also spoke of wanting to make a film about Islamic terrorist Salah Abdeslam; "There's something interesting about him. [...] I think it'd be a great film, but I need the right person to write it with me."

In December 2017, it was reported that Guadagnino would direct Jennifer Lawrence in a film of Burial Rites, based on the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir who was accused of murder in a small Icelandic village in 1830.{{cite web|last1=Lang|first1=Brent|title=Jennifer Lawrence to Star in Luca Guadagnino's Burial Rites (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/jennifer-lawrence-luca-guadagnino-burial-rites-1202638148/|website=Variety|access-date=5 April 2024|date=December 12, 2017}}

Guadagnino told The New Yorker in October 2018 that he was planning to turn Bob Dylan's album Blood on the Tracks into a feature film, with Richard LaGravenese writing the screenplay.{{cite web|last1=Sodomsky|first1=Sam|title=Luca Guadagnino Says He's Turning Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks Into a Movie|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/luca-guadagnino-says-hes-turning-bob-dylans-blood-on-the-tracks-into-a-movie/|website=Pitchfork|access-date=5 April 2024|date=October 15, 2018}} That December, Guadagnino revealed that Chloë Grace Moretz had been cast in an "important" role.{{cite web|author=Raup, Jordan|url=https://thefilmstage.com/chloe-grace-moretz-reteams-with-luca-guadagnino-for-blood-on-the-tracks/|title=Chloë Grace Moretz Reteams with Luca Guadagnino for 'Blood on the Tracks'|website=The Film Stage|date=December 30, 2018|access-date=January 13, 2025}} According to New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan, Guadagnino couldn't get the budget he wanted for it from the studio.{{cite tweet|number=1296099335705264131|user=kylebuchanan|title=I spoke to Luca Guadagnino about his upcoming HBO show and he told me he'd recently worked with Frank Ocean on a secret project. "We were collaborating on a music video that never happened. I use the Times to launch an appeal to Frank: Frank, let's do that video. Come on."|date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819160230/https://twitter.com/kylebuchanan/status/1296099335705264131|archive-date=August 19, 2020|url-status=dead}} He was still hoping to one day make a film of LaGravenese's script as of 2022.{{cite web|last=Romney|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/13/director-luca-guadagnino-bones-and-all-interview-call-me-by-your-name|title=Director Luca Guadagnino: 'I was one of those isolated guys who found solace in horror'|website=The Guardian|date=November 13, 2022|access-date=December 12, 2024}}

It was additionally announced by The New Yorker in October 2018 that Guadagnino "desperately wanted" to direct Stanley Kubrick's abandoned project based on Louis Begley's Holocaust novel Wartime Lies. He asked David Kajganich to write the screenplay based on Kubrick's research materials. In September 2020, Guadagnino reaffirmed his intentions to make a film of Wartime Lies, stating that he had examined Kubrick's papers in the director's archive at University of the Arts London.{{Cite magazine|last=Macnab|first=Geoffrey|date=7 September 2020|title=Luca Guadagnino pays tribute to Venice, looks forward to San Sebastian|url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/luca-guadagnino-pays-tribute-to-venice-looks-forward-to-san-sebastian/5152894.article|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907100910/https://www.screendaily.com/features/luca-guadagnino-pays-tribute-to-venice-looks-forward-to-san-sebastian/5152894.article|archive-date=7 September 2020|access-date=12 January 2021|website=Screen Daily|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Macnab|first=Geoffrey|date=11 September 2020|title=Luca Guadagnino: 'I don't have the right to decide whether an actor is straight or not'|language=en|website=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/luca-guadagnino-interview-salvatore-shoemaker-venice-call-me-your-name-b421938.html|url-status=live|access-date=12 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915010513/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/luca-guadagnino-interview-salvatore-shoemaker-venice-call-me-your-name-b421938.html|archive-date=15 September 2020}} Guadagnino's continued interest in the film has been acknowledged as of 2024, though other projects may have put it on temporary hold.

In July 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported Guadagnino entered negotiations to direct a new adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies for Warner Bros.{{cite web|last1=D'Alessandro|first1=Anthony|title=Luca Guadagnino Circles Warner Bros Lord Of The Flies Adaptation|url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/luca-guadagnino-circles-warner-bros-lord-of-the-flies-adaptation-1202656500/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=July 29, 2019}} The project would find a screenwriter in April 2020, with Patrick Ness hired.{{cite web|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title=Chaos Walking Author Patrick Ness Tackling Lord of the Flies Adaptation (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/chaos-walking-author-patrick-ness-tackling-lord-flies-adaptation-1291660/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=5 April 2024|date=April 24, 2020}} No additional announcements were made on the project until September 2023, where producer Lindsey Anderson Beer would reveal Guadagnino was still involved.{{cite web|last1=Devore|first1=Britta|title=Lord of the Flies Remake Producer Promises Luca Guadagnino's Spin Will Be "Scary" & "Refreshing"|url=https://collider.com/lord-of-the-flies-remake-luca-guadagnino-lindsey-anderson-beer-comments/|website=Collider|access-date=5 April 2024|date=September 26, 2023}}

Guadagnino's 2018 film Suspiria, a remake of Dario Argento's 1977 film of the same name was initially set up to be part one of a series, with the title initially set to include Part One as a subtitle.{{cite web|last1=Wiseman|first1=Andreas|title=Suspiria: Luca Guadagnino On Amazon's Wild First Horror Pic, Dakota Johnson, That Cinema-con Scene & Sequels|url=https://deadline.com/2018/08/suspiria-luca-guadagnino-amazon-dakota-johnson-comic-con-sequels-1202453398/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=August 29, 2018}} However Guadagnino would ultimately rule out a sequel in November 2020 as a result of the first film's poor box office performance.{{cite web|last1=Sharf|first1=Zack|title=Luca Guadagnino: Suspiria Sequel Plan Impossible After Film Was a Box-Office Disaster|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/luca-guadagnino-suspiria-sequel-killed-box-office-disaster-1234598508/|website=IndieWire|access-date=5 April 2024|date=November 12, 2020}}

As early as 2019, Guadagnino had begun work on a documentary called Intimacy, filmed in 35 mm, about "the state of exception that has been established" in the years following the attacks of the Bataclan in Paris. He interviewed a "vast number" of theoreticians for the project, including Alain Badiou.

In May 2020, Guadagnino was hired to direct a new version of Scarface for Universal Pictures, with Joel and Ethan Coen writing the screenplay. In September 2022, Guadagnino expressed his hopes for the film, emphasizing that he wants his version of Tony Montana to be "current", and the film to be "shocking".{{cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |title='Scarface' Remake Director Luca Guadagnino Wants a "Big R-Rating" on His "Shocking" Film |url=https://collider.com/scarface-remake-r-rating-details-luca-guadagnino/ |website=Collider |access-date=7 September 2022 |date=8 September 2020}} In November 2023, he revealed he was no longer involved in the project.{{cite web|last1=Bergeson|first1=Samantha|title=Luca Guadagnino's Scarface Movie Is Dead|url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/luca-guadagnino-scarface-remake-dead-1234923501/|website=IndieWire|access-date=5 April 2024|date=November 6, 2023}}

In July 2020, a narrative feature biopic about Hollywood hustler Scotty Bowers was announced to be in development at Searchlight Pictures, based on the 2017 documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood which the rights had been acquired for the year prior. Guadagnino was hired to direct the adaptation, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg writing the script.{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/luca-guadagnino-seth-rogen-scotty-bowers-gay-hustler-searchlight-movie-evan-goldberg-scotty-and-the-secret-history-of-hollywood-movie-matt-tyrnauer-1202998478/|title=Searchlight Sets Luca Guadagnino To Helm, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg To Script Adaptation Of Gay Hustler Docu 'Scotty And The Secret History Of Hollywood'|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=July 29, 2020|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=July 29, 2020}} That September, Guadagnino told Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times that he had been approached about the project a couple years prior but stressed that "it should be a comedy, a really great comedy." As a result, the first writers he tasked with the script were Goldberg and Rogan, feeling they would both properly understand Bowers' "generosity and nonjudgementalness" as a person. Guadagnino viewed Bowers as a "beautifully paradoxical" figure, akin to Chauncey Gardiner, Peter Sellers' character from Being There.{{cite tweet|number=1301975907200987136|user=kylebuchanan|title=I've got a Luca Guadagnino profile coming next week... but in the meantime, here's an outtake where Luca explains why he hired Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to script his biopic about Hollywood pimp Scotty Bowers|date=September 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904201032/https://twitter.com/kylebuchanan/status/1301975907200987136|archive-date=September 4, 2020|url-status=dead}}

In August 2020, Guadagnino told Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times that he'd recently worked with Frank Ocean on a secret project, which was likely hamstrung as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We were collaborating on a music video that never happened," he said.

On November 6, 2020, the BBC was reported to be adapting Evelyn Waugh's novel with Guadagnino set to write and direct, and Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Garfield named as potential members of the cast.{{cite web|last1=Kanter|first1=Jake|title=BBC Planning Latest Brideshead Revisited Remake, With Luca Guadagnino Attached To Direct|url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/bbc-hbo-brideshead-revisited-luca-guadagnino-ralph-fiennes-cate-blanchett-andrew-garfield-rooney-mara-1234610223/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=November 6, 2020}} Guadagnino would confirm the cast, in addition to Harry Lawtey and Rooney Mara, in September 2022, but revealed that as a result Guadagnino needing $110 million to make the series and not being able to compromise on this, BBC and HBO would shelve the project.{{cite web|last1=Bamigboye|first1=Baz|title=Luca Guadagnino Says He Needs A Miracle To Revive Brideshead Revisited Dream Project With All-Star Cast Including Cate Blanchett And Ralph Fiennes|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/luca-guadagnino-brideshead-revisited-dream-project-cast-cate-blanchett-ralph-fiennes-1235108376/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=September 5, 2022}}

On November 23, 2020 it was reported that Matthew López was set to write an adaptation of Christopher Castellani's novel Leading Men, with Guadagnino and Peter Spears producing and Searchlight Pictures distributing.{{cite news |last=Welk |first=Brian |title=Tennessee Williams Drama 'Leading Men' in the Works From 'The Inheritance' Writer Matthew Lopez |url=https://www.thewrap.com/tennessee-williams-drama-leading-men-in-the-works-from-the-inheritance-writer-matthew-lopez/ |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=TheWrap |date=23 November 2020}} On September 9, 2024 it was reported that Guadagnino was also set to direct the film.{{cite news |last=Perella |first=Vincent |title=Peter Spears on the Difference in Creating the Sex Scenes in Luca Guadagnino's 'Call Me by Your Name' Versus 'Queer' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/peter-spears-sex-scenes-call-me-by-your-name-queer-1235045164/?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=IndieWire |date=8 September 2024}}{{cite news |last=Ruimy |first=Jordan |title=Luca Guadagnino to Direct Tennessee Williams Film 'Leading Men' |url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/9/9/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-tennessee-williams-film-leading-men |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=World of Reel |date=9 September 2024}}

It was announced in January 2022 that Apple Studios had entered development with Guadagnino on a Audrey Hepburn biopic, with Rooney Mara cast to star as Hepburn.{{cite web|last1=D'Alessandro|first1=Anthony|title=Apple Lands Audrey Hepburn Biopic By Michael Mitnick, Rooney Mara Starring & Producing, Luca Guadagnino Directing|url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/rooney-mara-audrey-hepburn-biopic-apple-luca-guadagnino-1234905916/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=7 January 2022|date=January 6, 2022}} Filming had been slated to begin in late 2023,{{cite web|last1=Seth|first1=Radhika|title=Rooney Mara's Audrey Hepburn Biopic Is On Its Way|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/rooney-mara-audrey-hepburn-forthcoming-biopic.|website=Vogue Magazine|access-date=3 March 2023|date=January 5, 2023}} however Mara would announce in February 2024 that Guadagnino had exited the project.{{cite web|last1=Ntim|first1=Zac|title=Rooney Mara Discusses Berlin Title La Cocina With Alonso Ruizpalacios And Shares Update On Her Audrey Hepburn Biopic & Pawel Pawlikowski's The Island|url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/rooney-mara-berlin-film-festival-la-cocina-alonso-ruizpalacios-audrey-hepburn-biopic-1235827673/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=5 April 2024|date=February 16, 2024}}

In June 2023 during an interview with the Spanish publication, El Independiente, Bret Easton Ellis confirmed that Guadagnino would direct an upcoming TV series adaptation of his novel The Shards for HBO with Ellis himself saying that he may direct some episodes as well. This would have been Guadagnino's second project for HBO after We Are Who We Are.{{cite web|title=Luca Guadagnino to direct adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's The Shards|website=Dazed|date=6 July 2023 |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/60279/1/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-hbo-series-adaptation-of-bret-easton-ellis-the-shards|access-date=6 January 2024|archive-date=6 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106011017/https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/60279/1/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-hbo-series-adaptation-of-bret-easton-ellis-the-shards|url-status=live}} However, in May 2024, it was announced that Kristoffer Borgli would be directing and executive producing the series, with no mention of Guadagnino still being involved.{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Dream Scenario Filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli To Helm & EP HBO Bret Easton Ellis Series The Shards |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/hbo-bret-easton-ellis-the-shards-kristoffer-borgli-1235942738/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=29 May 2024 |date=May 28, 2024}}

In March 2024, Guadagnino told la Repubblica his next project would be Separate Rooms, a film adaptation of Pier Vittorio Tondelli's 1989 novel Camere separate.{{Cite web|title=Challengers è il nuovo film sul tennis di Luca Guadagnino: "I fischi ai miei film? La gente si offende troppo facilmente"|url=https://www.repubblica.it/venerdi/2024/03/21/news/luca_guadagnino_challengers_zendaya-422352838/|last=Jacobbi|first=Paola|date=22 March 2024|website=la Repubblica|language=it|access-date=26 March 2024}} A few days later, Variety reported Josh O'Connor was in talks to star.{{Cite web|title=Josh O'Connor in Talks to Star in Luca Guadagnino's Gay Romance Film 'Separate Rooms' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/josh-oconnor-luca-guadagnino-separate-rooms-gay-romance-1235950925/|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|date=25 March 2024|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=26 March 2024}} In April, Léa Seydoux was cast as the female lead, opposite O'Connor.{{cite web|last=Grobar|first=Matt|url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/separate-rooms-lea-seydoux-joins-luca-guadagino-movie-1235875334/|title=Léa Seydoux To Star Opposite Josh O'Connor In Luca Guadagnino's 'Separate Rooms'|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=April 3, 2024|access-date=November 21, 2024}} In May 2025, O'Connor confirmed he was no longer attached to the project, saying "He may well do it, but unfortunately it won't be with me".{{Cite web|last=Bamigboye|first=Baz|url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/separate-rooms-lea-seydoux-joins-luca-guadagino-movie-1235875334/|title=Josh O'Connor On 'The Mastermind', 'The History Of Sound', His Secret Spielberg Film & How Harris Dickinson Has Inspired Him To Direct|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 20, 2025|access-date=June 9, 2025}}

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Guadagnino, Luca