Creation Opens Toronto Fest

Variety reports that the Darwin biopic will be the first to open the fest. A smattering of others:

Special Presentation world premieres include Neil Jordan’s fisherman fairytale “Ondine,” starring Colin Farrell; Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s “Solitary Man,” toplining Michael Douglas; Jordan Scott’s boarding school drama “Cracks,” with Eva Green; Tim Blake Nelson’s “Leaves of Grass,” starring Edward Norton; Nicolas Winding Refn’s Viking saga “Valhalla Rising”; Niki Caro’s romance “The Vintner’s Luck”; Raoul Peck’s political thriller “Moloch Tropical”; and Bruce Beresford’s “Mao’s Last Dancer,” with Kyle MacLachlan and Joan Chen. All have U.S. rights available.

Other world preems are Warner Bros. comedy “The Invention of Lying,” co-helmed and co-written by Ricky Gervais (who also stars) and Matthew Robinson, and Miramax’s “The Boys Are Back,” helmed by Scott Hicks and starring Clive Owen.

Among the non-world-preem Special Presentations announced were Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant!” (North American preem), Jane Campion’s Cannes competitor “Bright Star”; Rachid Bouchareb’s Berlin bow “London River”; Bong Joon-ho’s Cannes entry “Mother”; Yousry Nasrallah’s “Scheherazade Tell Me a Story”; Bruno Dumont’s “Hadewijch”; and Catherine Corsini’s “Partir,” starring Kristin Scott Thomas.

The question, though, is how many will get knocked down in Toronto, how many stand and how many will rise to the top. It’s a bumpy ride from Cannes to Toronto and a great many more voices and opinions to pour forth. Toronto always makes me nervous. Always.