Daniel Craig rocks long blond locks as he touches down in Venice with wife Rachel Weisz ahead of the premiere of his explicit, Oscar-tipped movie

Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz have arrived in Venice ahead of the premiere of his hugely anticipated movie Queer next week.

The Brit actor rocked his new look of long blond locks as he walked through Marco Polo airport with Rachel, and headed to the Venice Film Festival in the city. 

The James Bond star, 56, has taken fans by surprise in recent months with his new do which appears to be for his upcoming film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, which began shooting in June.

Daniel has reprised his role as Detective Benoit Blanc for the third instalment with the film set for a release date next year.

He kept the rest of his Venice arrival look simple in a white t-shirt and jeans while Rachel looked as chic as ever in a black dress and shades.

Daniel is in town to promote his new movie Queer, which will premiere at the festival on September 3. 

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Queer is ased on William Burroughs' semiautobiographical novella and stars Craig as American expat and war veteran William Lee, who has a romance with a younger man, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a drug addict and discharged Navy serviceman. 

Initial reviews suggest mpviegoers will be left shocked by the explicit nature of some of the key moments in the movie. 

One much talked about scene, in particular, sees Craig perform oral sex on Allerton.

Click here to resize this module

Venice Film Festival boss Alberto Barbera said he believes Craig has given 'the performance of a lifetime' in Queer, and added he'd be surprised if we don't see the British actor at the Academy Awards next year. 

It would mark the first ever Oscar nod for Craig. 

The 81st Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia and will be held on the Lido di Venezia from 28 August to 7 September 2024. 

Sigourney Weaver will receive the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award during the festival.

George Clooney is already in town, alongside his wife Amal, for the debut of his anticipated new movie Wolfs - the Jon Watts-directed heist thriller that reunites him with Oceans 11 co-star Brad Pitt.

Both George and Brad will be attendance at the September 1 screening. 

Another major screening is Joker: Folie à Deux on September 4. The premiere of the sequel will welcome stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga to the Venice red carpet. 

Venice regulars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are in town for Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut The Room Next Door while Nicole Kidman is screening her erotic thriller Babygirl on August 30.

Pupi Avati's The American Backyard will close the festival on September 7.