Shia LaBeouf film Borg/McEnroe to open Toronto film fest

A film revisiting an epic professional sports rivalry between brash American star John McEnroe and Swedish legend Bjorn Borgwill kick off this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Festival organizers announced Borg/McEnroe, directed by Janus Metz, as the opening film of this year's edition.

Audiences are in for one hell of a showdown.- Cameron Bailey, TIFF artistic director

The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Sverrir Gudnason and Stellan Skarsgard.

"The story of this nail-biter matchup changed the sport of tennis forever, and the outstandingperformances from LaBeouf and Gudnason will be a spectacular way for Festival-goers to kick things off," TIFF director and CEO PiersHandling said in a statement.

"The on-court scenes have the dynamism of a street battle, and the drama peels back layers from what we know about both players. This was more than a simpleconflict pitting an icy European against an impulsive American. Audiences are in for one hell of a showdown."

Handling and Bailey unveiled a first batchof films slated for this year's festival last week. Upcoming announcements will highlight Canadian selections and additional titles earmarked for the festival this fall.

The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 7-17.