Although we won’t hear the official lineup for a few weeks, the early word on this year’s Cannes Film Festival line-up has Hugh Jackman pulling double duty in two of the fest’s big Hollywood titles, "X-Men: The Last Stand" and Darren Aronofsky‘s "The Fountain."
While previously announced openers "The Da Vinci Code" and the 20-part "Paris, I Love You" are the only official titles so far, Variety’s probed festival insiders for a near-certified list, and it looks to be American- and Euro-heavy.
Although many fans might argue that mutants deserve a shot at the Palme d’Or, "X-Men: The Last Stand" will appear out of competition along with Jackman-Rachel Weisz starrer "The Fountain," DreamWorks’ animated "Over The Hedge," and docs "Al Gore: An Inconvenient Truth" and "John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and Legend." Audiences will also get a 20-minute peek at Oliver Stone‘s August opener, "World Trade Center."
"X-Men: The Last Stand," "The Fountain," "Over the Hedge," "Volver"
Favorite European directors will also bring their projects to Cannes, nost notably Ken Loach‘s "The Wind That Shakes The Barley," Aki Kaurismaki‘s "Lights at the Edge of the City," and Pedro Almodovar‘s "Volver," which stars frequent muse Penelope Cruz and is already set to his American theaters in October.
Additional films that seem likely to screen include "Babel," with Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and Gael Garcia Bernal; Richard Linklater‘s "Fast Food Nation," starring Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke; and Guillermo del Toro‘s "Pan’s Labyrinth."
Many films previously speculated to join the festival’s slate will not be ready in time for Cannes: the Diane Arbus biopic "Fur," starring Nicole Kidman; "The Black Dahlia," with lovebirds Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett; David Lynch‘s latest LA mystery, "Inland Empire"; and possible Steven Soderbergh‘s latest, "The Good German."
Famed filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai will serve as the President of the Jury, and will be introduced by this year’s Master of Ceremonies, Vincent Cassel. The irony in Wong’s selection as President is that Asian films will be conspicuously few, as many high-profile Asian projects shoot for Venice in August.
Read the full Cannes preview, here.
