The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival has announced that David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King will open this year’s fest. Per the press release, “Outlaw King follows the untold, true story of Robert the Bruce, who transforms from defeated nobleman to outlaw hero during the oppressive occupation of medieval Scotland by Edward I of England. Despite grave consequences, Robert seizes the Scottish crown and rallies an impassioned group of men to fight back against the mighty army of the tyrannical King and his volatile son, the Prince of Wales.”

This is definitely one of my most-anticipated films of this year’s festival. I enjoyed Mackenzie’s previous movies, Hell or High Water and Starred Up, and I’m eager to see what he does with this material. It’s a good opener for TIFF, and it shows that the festival isn’t afraid to shine a spotlight on big movies even if those movies are hitting Netflix later this year. It will be interesting to see if this film earns Oscar consideration or if it’s just a big movie to open the fest.

In a statement, Mackenzie said:

“Thank you, TIFF, for welcoming our film into the world. The Festival is the perfect launch pad for our realistic epic, and we are delighted to be the first Scottish film ever to open Toronto,” said director David Mackenzie. “I cannot imagine a better place to have our World Premiere. Scotland and Canada’s histories are bound together, forged in the crucible of the struggles of history, bringing this day an affinity and sensibility that I hope will translate to a profound, visceral, and riotously entertaining experience. We have an amazing cast and crew working at the top of their game, and we are really looking forward to spreading some Scottish goodwill on the great city of Toronto.”

The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 – 16th. Outlaw King hits Netflix on November 9th.

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Image via Netflix