"Grindhouse," "Zodiac" set to fire up Cannes crowd

PARIS - Months of conjecture surrounding the Cannes Film Festival lineup will come to an end Thursday as organizers unveil the official selections for the May 16-27 event.

Wong Kar Wai's "My Blueberry Nights," which the Weinstein Co. will release in the U.S., looks as if it will be completed in time to fill the high-profile opening-night, while David Fincher's "Zodiac" is rumored as the festival closer May 27.

Official picks will be announced at a news conference at the Hotel Crillon in Paris.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez' "Grindhouse," Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's Thirteen," James Gray's "We Own the Night" and the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" are locks, and Michael Winterbottom's "A Mighty Heart" is set to premiere May 21 in Cannes.

The U.S.-heavy lineup awaits final confirmation on front-runner "Paranoid Park" by fest veteran Gus Van Sant.

Michael Moore most likely will make it back to the Croisette with his health care documentary "Sicko," following the director's Palme d'Or win in 2004 for "Fahrenheit 9/11." Paulo Morelli's "City of Men" (the sequel to Fernando Meirelles' "City of God") and Harmony Korine's "Mister Lonely" also were anticipated.

As usual, the French are taking their time to secure festival slots, but it looks as if the black-and-white animated film "Persepolis" will be a contender. Claude Miller's "Un Secret" and Alain Corneau's "Le deuxieme souffle" are in the running, and U.S. director Julian Schnabel's French production "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is poised to ring on the Croisette.

Director Catherine Breillat might be back in Cannes with her latest, "Une Vieille Maitresse," after she shocked the Croisette in 2001 with "Fat Girl," an exploration of teen sexuality.

The lineup also is rumored to include Latin American flavor such as the Mexican pictures "El Pasado," from director Hector Babenco, and "Silent Light," from Carlos Reygadas.

Popular Korean director Kim Ki-duk is tipped to make it to Cannes with his new movie "Breath,"

Other best bets from Asia include Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" and Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right" from China; Takeshi Kitano's "Kantoku Banzai" and Shinji Aoyama's "Sad Vacation" from Japan; and "Triangle," a three-part action movie directed by Hong Kong filmmakers Tsui Hark, Johnnie To and Ringo Lam.

Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodha Akbar," starring Aishwarya Rai, is expected to represent India, possibly as part of a special section celebrating the 60th anniversary of Indian independence.

Notably lacking from the final contenders are U.K. titles, though Sarah Gavron's "Brick Lane" and Anthony Byrne's "How About You" have not been ruled out.