Deadline reports on the possibility of Netflix films returning to the Cannes Official Selection. Since 2017, Cannes has only admitted films for competition that had a theatrical release. This rule has made streaming films such as Netflix originals ineligible for the competition portion of the festival. Netflix films are eligible to play “out of competition” and thus acknowledged at the festival but are not competing for accolades, which means they would draw far less publicity. Netflix has not sent films to play out of competition because of the desire for Netflix films to compete at the festival.

The Festival De Cannes is an annual festival celebrating film. While the festival itself is not open to the general public, as only members of the press and industry professionals are invited, the publicity driven from being chosen as one of the “Official Selections” is something that many filmmakers strive for.

Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux has reacted positively to the film Blonde from director Andrew Dominik. Dominik is known as the director of the film Killing Them Softly, which played at Cannes in 2012. While Fremaux has publicly praised the film, there is no official confirmation that the film will be shown as a Cannes Official Selection, or that the rules of Cannes regarding theatrical release requirements are changing.

Blonde is a biopic about American pop-culture icon Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas, known for her roles in Knives Out and Blade Runner, will be playing the titular character of Monroe. The film is adapted from a novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates and is set for release in 2022.