'On The Road' Among Palme D'or Contenders At Cannes

A big-screen adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, starring Kristen Stewart and Sam Riley is looking set to compete for the all-important Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes film festival. The movie version of the classic beat novel stars Riley in the role of Sal Paradise and Stewart playing Marylou and will be the most high-profile role for Riley since he played JOY DIVISION frontman Ian Curtis in 2007's Control.

On The Road will be competing for the Palme D'Or, along with Cannes favourites Ken Loach's new movie The Angel's Share and Michael Haneke's Amour. A Telegraph report on the Cannes line-up quotes festival director Thierry Fremaux as saying "American cinema is back in force," acknowledging the strong presence of US-themed movies on the festival programme. Cannes film festival runs between May 16 and May 27 and will open with Wes Anderson's new movie, the highly anticipated "Moonrise Kingdom." The movie stars Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Bruce Willis and is set in New England, 1965.

Kristen Stewart's Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson also makes an appearance, in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. Cronenberg's new movie is also a novel adaptation, this time of Don DeLillo's work. Other notable competition includes Lawless, starring Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara and Mud, with Reese Witherspoon and MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY.