The star of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio, "will almost definitely" attend the Dublin charity premiere of Gangs of New York this evening, the organisers said yesterday.
Daniel Day-Lewis, U2 members and Jim Broadbent have already confirmed they will attend the event in the Savoy Cinema.
Leonardo DiCaprio became a heart-throb for millions of young women around the world after his performance in the Titanic film in 1997. He was swamped by fans when he attended the London premiere on Tuesday night.
About 20 of the film's cast have confirmed they will attend the film at the Savoy, making it bigger than the New York or London premieres, according to the Make A Wish Foundation, the charity organising the premiere.
Brendan Gleeson, Pete Postlethwaite, Neil Jordan and John Boorman will also be there while the producer and director, Harvey Weinstein and Martin Scorsese, are still unconfirmed.
The film has strong Irish connections. It centres on the street battles between the Irish immigrants arriving in 19th-century New York, and the "Nativists" of English, Welsh, Dutch and German stock.
U2 provided the music for the closing credits of the film and Bono sang at the recent New York premiere. Finbarr Furey of the Furey Brothers also sings in the film.
The 780 seats for the Irish premiere sold out within 10 days after Daniel Day-Lewis said he would attend, a Make A Wish spokeswoman said. He has been tipped for an Oscar for his performance.
Make A Wish expects to earn about €100,000 from tonight's event. The 6 p.m. screening will be followed by dinner at the Burlington Hotel and an auction of costumes and memorabilia from the film.
Ms Lynn Fawcus-Robinson, Make A Wish "director of wish-granting", said Mr Day-Lewis was a great supporter and had secured the premiere for the charity. It is an international foundation, set up to grant the wishes of children diagnosed with serious illness.
The Irish company was set up in 1994 and granted the wishes of 62 children last year. One child met Madonna last year, while another was given a trip in a Harrier Jump Jet.
Gangs of New York, which cost $97.5 million, opened a year behind schedule. It has already taken $47 million at the US box office since its release last month.
