Singer-songwriter Omar Apollo has been cast in director Luca Guadagnino’s film Queer, a film based on William S Burroughs' semi-autobiographical novel. The film will mark his acting debut. Set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it stars Daniel Craig as the alter ego of Burroughs and Drew Starkey of Outer Banks fame.

Set in 1940s Mexico, Queer revolves around Craig's character Lee, who resides in a community of American college-goers with part-time employment and bar owners who depend on GI Bill benefits. The themes of the book cover drug abuse and sex, with Lee growing an infatuation for Allerton (Starkey), a younger and discharged US Navy serviceman. A drug consumer, Allerton stays indifferent to the sexual advances from Lee but eventually relents to them.

Guadagnino’s Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes adapted Burroughs' Queer for the silver screen, in association with the filmmaker.

Apollo, who last released the long play (LP) album God Said No, said that he met Guadagnino through Loewe's creative director and Challengers' costume designer Jonathan Anderson.