TIFF 2019 First Looks: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman & Antonio Banderas Lead ‘The Laundromat,’ Eddie Murphy Is ‘Dolemite’ & More

This morning’s lineup announcement for the Toronto International Film Festival featured a ton of high-profile films that will be screened at the fall event. So many that we couldn’t really give them all the spotlight they deserve in the announcement article. That being said, we’d like to take the time to highlight several first looks from some of the early standout films from this year’s TIFF.

READ MORE: TIFF 2019 Line-up: New Films By Rian Johnson, Steven Soderbergh, Safdie Brothers, Noah Baumbach, & The Joker Lands A North American Premiere

If you’re a fan of films, you’re likely always down to watch the latest film from acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. And while he is just coming off the debut of his last work with Netflix, “High Flying Bird,” the director is already back with another streaming film, “The Laundromat.”

As seen in the new pictures from the film, “The Laundromat” stars Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas in the story of the infamous Panama Papers leak. “The Laundromat” is expected to be one of Netflix’s big awards contenders for the year, so we’ll be interested to see how the reception at TIFF is from critics.

Another streaming film that we’ve been keeping our eye on is the Rudy Ray Moore biopic, “Dolemite is My Name.” The film comes from director Craig Brewer, who famously helmed “Hustle & Flow,” and stars Eddie Murphy as Moore. The film chronicles the life and career of Moore, who was one of the godfathers of 1970s blaxploitation cinema.

Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles, who is best known for his work on “City of God,” is back with another film, and this time he’s bringing the story of the Catholic Church’s most recent leaders in “The Two Popes.” The story is said to follow a debate between outgoing Pope Francis, played by Anthony Hopkins, and incoming (and much more progressive) Pope Francis, portrayed in the film by Jonathan Pryce. The TIFF description says the film is a “surprisingly funny chamber piece.”

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver lead filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s latest film, “Marriage Story.” The director of “The Meyerowitz Stories” and “Frances Ha” is back with a new Netflix film that features the story of a stage director (Driver) and his actor wife (Johansson) as they deal with a coast-to-coast divorce.

If you’re interested in what else is screening at TIFF 2019, you can check out our full lineup post.

TIFF begins on September 5.