Jesse James and his band of outlaws are coming to town for the 2007 Calgary International Film Festival.

The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford will be the opening flick at CIFF, which takes place later this month.

The movie, staring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, was shot around Calgary during the fall of 2005.

While Pitt and main squeeze Angelina Jolie are not expected to attend the festival, Jacqueline Dupius, CIFF executive director, says she is still working on trying get one or more of the A-list cast members to come to Calgary for the screening, which takes place on the festival's opening evening (Sept. 20) at the Globe Theatre.

This will be the second festival in Canada to see this film.

The movie screens this month in Ontario at the Toronto International Film Festival and is not expected to be released to regular theatre audiences until at least mid October.

Dupuis says getting the film for Calgary's fest was not an easy task.

"I felt the support from Warner Brothers (film producer) and the desire to make it happen, my worry was that if anyone in the giant team that made this film happen said 'no,' it would be dead in the water," she said.

"That happens all of the time especially with a film of this magnitude -- producers want to make sure it gets best possible release it can."

Jesse James was directed by Andrew Dominik, and also stars Sam Shepard, Mary-Louis Parker and Sam Rockwell.

The western-drama about the private life and public exploits of America's notorious outlaw (James) takes place in 1881.

Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee's new movie, Lust, Caution, as well as Calgary writer Robert Cuffley's new movie, Walk All Over Me, will both have their western Canadian premieres at CIFF, taking place from Sept. 21 to 30.