George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Madonna Coming to Toronto Film Fest

George Clooney’s “The Ides of March,” Madonna’s “W.E.” and David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” (photo below) are among the films that will screen at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, the key fall festival that often serves as the unofficial kickoff to Oscar season.

Following the success of last year’s gala world premiere of the Bruce Springsteen documentary “The Promise,” the festival will open with Davis Guggenheim’s U2 doc “From the Sky Down.”

Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” (with Brad Pitt), Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” (with Clooney) and Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz” (with Michelle Williams) will also receive world premieres at the 11-day festival, which announced a star-studded and wide-ranging first batch of movies at a press conference in Toronto on Tuesday morning.