Florian Zeller is returning to Venice. His third feature, Bunker, will premiere in the main competition of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, competing for the Golden Lion. North American distribution is handled by Sony Pictures Classics, which also released The Father (2020) and The Son (2022).
The film follows an architect whose marriage fractures after he accepts a commission to design a bunker for a tech billionaire. Zeller wrote the roles specifically with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in mind. The two are married in real life. Paul Dano plays Andrew, with Stephen Graham, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Mark Gatiss, and Eileen Atkins rounding out the cast.
Principal photography began in Madrid in December 2025 and wrapped February 9, 2026, with one additional week of shooting in London. The film runs 126 minutes, shot in both English and Spanish. Zeller has cited the 2010 Argentine film The Man Next Door as a reference point for the work's themes and its bilingual construction.
Zeller launched two previous awards campaigns out of Venice. The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins, screened there before earning him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Son followed in Venice competition in 2022. Bunker marks his return to Lido competition for the first time since.
A North American premiere at TIFF follows. Sony Pictures Classics plans an awards-qualifying theatrical run in late 2026, with a full U.S. release in early 2027.