Alfonso Cuarón's space-walk thriller Gravity, which stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, has been given the prestigious opening slot at this year's Venice film festival. Clooney and Bullock play astronauts stranded outside their vehicle after a meteor shower, and the world premiere of the $80m-budget Warner Bros film will be the first time a 3D film will open the festival.

Cuarón's last film, the dystopian fable Children of Men, also screened at Venice, when it won the award for best cinematography. His Mexican road trip, Y Tu Mama Tambien was his first film to be selected for the festival.

Gravity had proved a long and challenging shoot for Cuarón and his renowned cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Though it only contains two actors, the difficulties they encountered in satisfactorily depicting a realistic spacewalk meant considerable delays before shooting could get under way. A number of other actors – including Angelina Jolie, Robert Downey Jr and Marion Cotillard – were reportedly attached to the project at one time, before Clooney and Bullock were confirmed.

The Venice film festival opens on 28 August.

• This article was amended on 3 July 2013 as a still of Solaris was used. This has been corrected.