Netflix production will open Toronto festival
Netflix might have been left out of the Cannes Film Festival this year, but the streaming outlet is dominating the fall festival season — including scoring the opening night slot at the Toronto International Film Festival.
David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King, starring Chris Pine, will be the festival’s opening night gala presentation on Sept. 6, two months ahead of its Netflix release on Nov. 9.
Outlaw King reunites Pine with his Hell or High Water director for the story of Robert the Bruce, the 14th century Scottish king who reclaimed the throne from the English crown and its army. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh and Billy Howle also star.
Netflix ran into conflict with Cannes this year over France’s strict policy on streaming windows for theatrical releases, which ultimately led to the distributor pulling its films from consideration for the festival.
By landing TIFF’s opening night slot, Netflix now looks to be a dominant force at the Canadian festival with several high-profile films in the program, including Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life and Nicole Holofcener’s The Land of Steady Habits.
“We are delighted to be the first Scottish film ever to open Toronto,” David Mackenzie said in a statement.
“Scotland and Canada’s histories are bound together, forged in the crucible of the struggles of history, bringing this day an affinity and sensibility that I hope will translate to a profound, visceral and riotously entertaining experience.”
TIFF also announced that Justin Kelly’s Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern, will close the festival, which runs through Sept. 16.
Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy is adapted from Savannah Knoop’s memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy, about the literary scandal that erupted when it was revealed that Knoop had been publicly portraying the young literary sensation whose work was actually being written by Laura Albert. Kristen Stewart plays Knoop, while Laura Dern plays Albert with a cast that also includes Diane Kruger, Jim Sturgess, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Courtney Love and James Jagger.
“I can’t wait for people to see the fascinating true story behind JT LeRoy, brought to life via incredible performances by a total dream cast,” Kelly said in a statement.
Other films include Sam Taylor-Johnson’s A Million Little Pieces, an adaptation of the James Frey semi-fictional addiction novel starring Aaron TaylorJohnson, Juliette Lewis and Billy Bob Thornton.
Boy Erased by Joel Edgerton is based on the memoir by Garrard Conley. Nicole Kidman, Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe and Xavier Dolan star in the story of a Baptist pastor’s son who is forced into a gay conversion therapy program.
Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini star in Peter Farrelly’s Green Book, about an Italian-American bouncer who becomes a pianist’s chauffer in the American Deep South.
Canadian films added include The Lie by Toronto-born Veena Sud, who created the recent Netflix series Seven Seconds.
The auteur-filled Masters program includes Jean-Luc Godard’s The Image Book, winner of the inaugural 2018 Special Palme d’Or at Cannes.