The Assassination of Jesse James starring Brad Pitt and the ensemble Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There are among new films added to the Toronto International Film Festival's lineup this September.

Organizers announced eight films that will be added to the 17 already featured under the festival's Special Presentation banner.

Writer and director Paul Haggis, pictured here at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, will premiere his film In The Valley of Elah, starring Susan Sarandon, at this year's festival.
(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Jesse James, filmed mostly in Alberta and Winnipeg, delves into the private life and exploits of one of America's most notorious outlaws. The movie, directed by Andrew Dominik, also stars Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell and Zooey Deschanel.

I'm Not There, helmed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven ), weaves several stories about musician Dylan starring various actors in the main role — including Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger — in what is described as "various embodiments of different 'Dylanesque' characters."

Other actors appearing in the movie include Canadian Bruce Greenwood, Julianne Moore and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Also on the slate is Canadian director Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah, about a young soldier's mysterious disappearance after returning from Iraq. The plot follows his father (Tommy Lee Jones) and mother (Susan Sarandon) as they search for their son with the help of a police detective portrayed by Charlize Theron. Haggis's Crash took two Oscars in 2006, for best picture and best original screenplay.

Other notable new films include Sean Penn's Into The Wild, based on the true story that became a bestselling novel by Jon Krakrauer. The movie chronicles the tale of Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), who abandoned his savings and possessions to live in the Alaskan wilderness.

Atonement, based on the award-winning novel by Ian McEwan, will reunite director Joe Wright of Pride and Prejudice with actor Keira Knightley for another British romance but one that spans decades.

And in a romance of a different kind, Margot at the Wedding details a family's unravelling after a woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) decides to get married. Nicole Kidman plays the woman's sister, while comedian Jack Black plays the fiancee.  Writer/director Noah Bambach's other films include The Squid and the Whale (2005) and Kicking and Screaming (1995).

Other films rounding out the list include The Savages, directed by Tamara Jenkins, starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as estranged siblings, and the Battle in Seattle by Stuart Townsend, based on the five-day protest in 1999 in Seattle against the World Trade Organization. 

The Toronto International Film Festival goes Sept. 6-15.