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George Clooney is expected, as is Jodie Foster. Publicists are already beginning to plan their itineraries. Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell are also as confirmed as they can be at this point.
Woody Allen will be around, although likely keeping a low profile, say those involved with his film, Cassandra's Dream. If she wanted to, Cate Blanchett could well walk away with the spotlight. But it's looking like her public appearances may be limited to a red-carpet walk and a crowded press conference - if, that is, she shows up in Toronto at all.
That's the kind of confirmation celebrity-gawkers have to make do with, as they gear up for the Toronto International Film Festival. Even TIFF officials, and the legion of publicists working next month's festival, aren't 100-per-cent sure yet who will be appearing at what events or when.
But prior to Tuesday's announcement of which celebrities and filmmakers are at least expected to attend, most publicity insiders have at least some idea of who may be showing up.
Cate Blanchett might come to Toronto for the premier of her reprise of an English royal in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which also stars Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen and Samantha Morton. (Phil McCarten/Retuers)
Blanchett is returning to the role of Elizabeth I in the period extravaganza Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which also stars Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen and Samantha Morton. And it's a premiere, which adds heft to its gala presentation at TIFF - and bodes well for stargazers. But word so far is that the stars won't be making the rounds of press interviews for the film at the Toronto festival.
For autograph seekers, that's not great news. More publicity commitments for the stars mean more time in and out of hotel lobbies, and more occasions to hold out your notepad and felt-tipped marker. And yet, given the fact that Blanchett also stars in the TIFF film I'm Not There, as Bob Dylan in his early electric phase, it's safe to say that Blanchett won't be seen aimlessly strolling around Yorkville pining for attention.
Neither will Clooney or Foster, who have a series of press events being planned for their films. Clooney stars with Sydney Pollack in the legal drama Michael Clayton, another festival gala; while Foster stars in director Neil Jordan's new film The Brave One.
Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are scheduled to arrive to promote the espionage thriller Rendition. Early indications are that co-star Meryl Streep, however, won't be with them.
There are rumours that Susan Sarandon might actually come to Toronto twice during the festival - to promote both In the Valley of Elah and the closing-night gala, Emotional Arithmetic. Her co-star in Elah, Tommy Lee Jones, is also in the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men and is scheduled to attend TIFF.
Yet another Elah co-star, Charlize Theron, also has another film at TIFF, by long-time beau Stuart Townsend, titled Battle in Seattle. So Theron and Townsend are possibilities, as are the film's other stars, Woody Harrelson and André Benjamin.
There are a few confirmed notables. McGregor and Farrell are promoting Allen's Cassandra's Dream. Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts are coming for David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. Jimmy Smits and Mario Bello are arriving for The Jane Austen Book Club. (Bello is also in Nothing is Private, co-starring Toni Collette.)
Kiera Knightley is coming for Silk (and she also has another TIFF film, Atonement), while Danny Glover is expected to lend support for Honeydripper and Poor Boy's Game. Carrie-Anne Moss is still to be confirmed, but is nevertheless expected to arrive for director Carl Bessai's Normal. The writer Ariel Dorfman and talk-show pioneer Phil Donahue will also be at the fest, talking up their respective documentaries.
Evan Rachel Wood is coming, for Across the Universe. Bono has a role in that film, too. Still, despite his previous and profuse comments about Toronto's beautiful people two years ago (when U2 played Toronto at the same time as TIFF), one publicist close to Across the Universe indicated that she'd be very surprised if Bono showed up this year.
Then there are the other big maybes. Joaquin Phoenix will have press, publicists and paparazzi scrambling if he comes in support of Reservation Road.
It's also too early to tell who of Blanchett's co-stars in I'm Not There will show; they include Christian Bale, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Heath Ledger and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Reports are that Sean Penn will likely show for Into the Wild, which he directed. If he does arrive, the big question will be whether he repeats last year's smoking-indoors faux pas.
Then there's Brad Pitt. He came in 2006. And he's in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, as James no less.
Words is that Pitt press events at TIFF are being organized - but again, there's that old refrain: nothing totally confirmed. When celebrities are involved, it ain't happening till it happens.
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