Here are five hopefuls that I would expect to see having their world premieres at this year's festival. In addition, I've noted three other movies that could come to Toronto, but may skip it for various reasons.
Anna Karenina
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Johnson
Director Joe Wright's (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement) adaptation is being primed for a November release date, and will almost certainly be premiering at festivals this fall in the hopes of building up buzz, especially with early rumors that it might be a more unconventional take on the material than expected. Rather than going all-out with extravagant sets and costuming, as often happens with classic novels such as this, Wright is said to be presenting a more subdued, stripped-down version of Tolstoy's work, letting the material stand on its own. Should it work, Knightley might be a shoo-in for a Best Actress nomination, with other potential major or technical nominations following from there.
Argo
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
Affleck's two previous directorial efforts, Gone Baby Gone and The Town, both premiered at TIFF before going on to successful runs in theaters, so I'd be very surprised if Argo doesn't follow suit, especially with the film's Canadian connection. Affleck's transition from actor and tabloid fodder to respected and established director has been well documented, and he'll obviously be looking to continue that steak with this film set during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, about the rescue of six diplomats by disguising them as members of a Canadian film crew scouting an upcoming sci-fi movie called Argo. Rather than the rescue itself though, the film will focus on the behind-the-scenes workings of the mission, with Affleck playing the CIA disguise and infiltration expert responsible for co-ordinating the mission.
Hyde Park on Hudson
Directed by Roger Michell
Starring Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams
Most of the buzz following this will center on Murray's performance as Franklin Roosevelt, which has been tabbed for some time now as a potential Oscar-worthy turn. The film is not a full bio-pic of FDR, instead focusing on the president's relationship with his distant cousin and future mistress, Margaret Suckley, over the course of King George's visit to Roosevelt's country estate in 1939. Murray has been a bit of a fixture at TIFF over the past few years, so it's a good bet to appear on the bill. As for the film itself, its success may depend on whether the material is as good as the performers. Michell is somewhat of a pedestrian director, having previously helmed fare like Notting Hill and Morning Glory, and the radio play the film is based on didn't garner much acclaim.
The Place Beyond the Pines
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Dane DeHaan
Derek Cianfrance's debut film Blue Valentine was one of the surprise hits of the festival in 2010, eventually garnering an Oscar nomination for lead actress Michelle Williams, so I'd expect to see his follow-up at this year's festival even if early word is that we may not see the film's full release until next year. Ryan Gosling reteams with Cianfrance and plays a motorcycle stunt driver who turns to crime, but early word is that Gosling actually only plays a small part and the real heart of the film centers around Bradley Cooper as the cop and aspiring politician he crosses paths with, as well as up-and-coming actor Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) as Gosling's teenage son. Should the film get strong buzz coming out Toronto or any other fall festivals, I wouldn't be that surprised to see its release moved up to 2012 to capitalize.
Trouble with the Curve
Directed by Robert Lorenz
Starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake
It's something of a surprise to see Eastwood's name in the cast list for a film he didn't direct, especially since it hasn't happened since 1993's In the Line of Fire. Eastwood is credited as a producer though, so he obviously saw something in director Lorenz's script about a retiring baseball scout who takes his daughter (Adams) with him on his final trip to scout a top prospect (Timberlake). The film only started shooting this March, but filming has already wrapped and it's being prepped for a fall release date, a turnaround that Eastwood, famous for his quick turnarounds, would be proud of. In the same way that Moneyball used its Toronto premiere as a springboard to a successful release a few weeks later, I would expect that Trouble with the Curve will be hoping to follow a similar pattern this fall.
In addition to the above, there are of course many other Oscar hopefuls scheduled for release later this year. Some of course, such as Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, Ang Lee's Life of Pi, Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, and Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) adaptation of Les Miserables, will likely bypass the festival season altogether thanks to their higher profile, while others, like the three listed below, are a bit of a question mark as to how their release will be planned. However, should any of them be ready for festival season, TIFF would be thrilled to snag their world premieres:
The Great Gatsby
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire
Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, Romeo and Juliet), hasn't been seen in the last few years since the disaster that was 2008's Australia, but he's back in a big way with a new adaptation of F. Scott's Fitzgerald's seminal work, with DiCaprio as the eponymous Jay Gatsby. The notoriously flamboyant Luhrmann may be the perfect director to capture the extravagance and glamor of Gatsby's world, but at the same time, the choice could just as easily backfire and result in a bloated mess of a film. Early word has been good though, and if they decide to go the festival route with Gatsby prior to its December release, it would be a coup for Toronto to present it.
The Master
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams
Cinephiles have been waiting a long time now for Anderson's follow-up to There Will Be Blood, and with The Master finally completed and its first trailer having been released, they won't have to wait much longer. Joaquin Phoenix will also be making his first film since his self-imposed "retirement", playing a 1950's drifter who becomes entangled with Hoffman's burgeoning religious leader (supposedly heavily based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard). Anderson is a notoriously secretive director and may not want to reveal his film to the world too early, in which case The Master may bypass the fall festivals and bide its time until the end of the year.
Zero Dark Thirty
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong
This might have been seen as a natural choice for the festival, given that Bigelow's prior film, The Hurt Locker, premiered at TIFF in 2009 and went on to win Best Picture, but her follow-up focusing on the Navy SEAL team that would eventually assassinate Osama bin Laden might simply not be ready in time for the festival this year. It has been penciled into a late December release date for several months now, but various delays have pushed back its filming dates into the summer months, and getting it shot and edited in time for the festival in September might be too much to ask for. Still, Bigelow is another director who is known to work quickly, so it's still a potential entry if the studio wants to play the festival season.
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