Springsteen, Jolie, Anderson, J.Lo films lead TIFF lineup

Article content

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival is adding some major star power as new movies from Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Lopez and Pamela Anderson have joined this year’s cinematic lineup.

Article content

Anderson has earned early Oscar buzz for her role in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, in which she plays a Las Vegas dancer who is forced to plan for her future when her long-running show closes. The drama also stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista.

After her last appearance at TIFF back in 2019 with Hustlers, Lopez will return alongside Jharrel Jerome in Unstoppable, which tells the true story of Anthony Robles, who despite being born without a right leg and growing up in an abusive household rose to become a NCAA Division I champion wrestler. Lopez’s husband, Ben Affleck, and his close pal Matt Damon produce.

Before he touches down for a pair of shows at Scotiabank Arena in November, Springsteen will be in town for the debut of longtime collaborator Thom Zimny’s Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, a documentary that follows the singer-songwriter’s latest world tour.

Article content

Article content

Alongside, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez will unveil her Cannes-winning Emilia Pérez, a musical crime comedy that follows a disgruntled lawyer (Saldana) who is tasked with assisting an escaped Mexican cartel leader in undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

Meanwhile, after a hilarious turn in last year’s Wonka, Hugh Grant returns to the festival with Heretic, a horror from A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods about two Mormon missionaries who become trapped inside the house of a diabolical non-believer.

Elsewhere, TIFF will be the launch pad for Angelina Jolie’s war drama Without Blood, featuring Salma Hayek and Demian Bichir; the Riz Ahmed and Lily James-starring thriller Relay; Barry Keoghan’s crime thriller Bring Them Down for Mubi; Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada; Samuel L. Jackson’s The Piano Lesson; Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield’s We Live in Time; Hard Truths, the latest from Mike Leigh; Naomi Watts and Bill Murray’s The Friend; Andrea Bocelli’s Because I Believe; the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man; an animated documentary about the life of Pharrell Williams; the Alicia Vikander and Elisabeth Olsen-starring sci-fi thriller The Assessment; and the LeBron James-produced basketball feature Rez Ball.

Article content

Toronto also added premieres for Ron Howard’s survival thriller Eden, with Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Ana de Armas, Jude Law and Daniel Bruhl; a feature-length doc chronicling the life of Elton John; the directorial debut from eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak (K-POPS); funnyman Will Ferrell’s Will & Harper; Cate Blanchett’s black comedy Rumours; and Amy Adams’ Nightbitch, which casts the six-time Academy Award nominee as a stay-at-home-mom whose domestic life takes a surreal turn.

Nutcrackers, starring Ben Stiller, will be the opening night feature. Directed by David Gordon Green (Halloween), it centres on a workaholic who becomes the caregiver for his orphaned nephews.

The festival will close with Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb. The musical comedy follows two teenage cousins who are looking for dates to the Debutante Ball in a small Australian town.

The 49th Toronto International Film Festival takes place Sept. 5–15.

Article content