Is there anything the film industry loves more than a biopic of a musical legend? In the last decade, we’ve been plunged into the lives of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, where Rami Malik nabbed the Oscar for best actor, Elton John in Rocketman, Elvis Presley in Elvis, and, most recently, Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar-nominated performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet as Dylan brought together fans of the old and new generations for an appreciation of artistry. Whether it be for the former’s acting prowess or the latter’s genius, or hopefully both, the film drew mass appeal. Another immensely talented heartthrob is set to follow in Chalamet’s footsteps with his portrayal of “The Boss” in Scott Cooper’s biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Jeremy Allen White, star of Shameless, The Bear, and The Iron Claw, shines as Bruce Springsteen in the impending film’s first trailer.
A Rockstar Reconnecting and Reforming
Releasing on October 24, 2025, Deliver Me From Nowhere focuses on Springsteen as he creates and records his sixth album, Nebraska. A tectonic shift from his 1980 pop hit Hungry Heart, Springsteen’s pursuit of a more stripped-down sound tests the patience of his record label, which is eager to expand on the success of his pop persona. The trailer shows Springsteen on a journey to rediscover his sound and himself.
A Humble Repairman
The trailer opens with a car salesman recognizing the rockstar, saying, “I do know who you are”, to which White replies: “Well, that makes one of us.” We then see Springsteen in a humble motel room, with basic recording equipment, and only one sound technician assisting in recording music, which White attests: “Don’t need to be perfect. I want it to feel like I’m in the room by myself.” With an overture from Springsteen’s longtime manager and co-producer Jon Landau, played by Jeremy Strong, Springsteen’s ambitions to reconcile his past, ground his present, and find himself in the future are deemed the movie’s focal point. His writing of Nebraska is an act of self-repair; according to Landau:
“Bruce is a repairman. And what he’s doing with this album, […] is he’s repairing that hole in himself. And, once he’s done that, he’s gonna repair the entire world.”
— Scott Cooper, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
A tough legacy to live up to, and while I can’t personally say I believe Bruce Springsteen has changed the world, he will go down as a musical icon, one of the best-selling artists of all time, and a pioneer of Heartland rock. And now, the biopic of a pivotal and transcendent moment in his personal and musical life is set to be a success. Coming from Scott Cooper, director of the Academy Award-winning Crazy Heart, who has tackled and soared in the delivery of a similarly themed film following the broken, former country-music legend Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), Deliver Me From Nowhere is one to watch this awards season.
A Tall Order
White is singing in the film, a skill we’ve never seen him utilize, but he has the stamp of approval from Springsteen himself, who called him “a terrific actor” who sings “very well.” I’m always wary when people try to replicate the voices of legends (who are legends precisely because no one can sing like them — don’t even get me started on Back to Black), but assurance from who he’s emulating has got to mean something. White reportedly studied hundreds of hours of archived footage of Springsteen’s performances in an effort to master his signature stage presence and New Jersey rasp. The trailer closes out with White’s rendition of Born To Run, and it did not disappoint, but it’s one thing to deliver in a two-minute trailer; will the rest of his covers do the same?
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With the consistently fantastic and brooding Jeremy Allen White in the titular role, the immense talent of Jeremy Strong, and the depth of Stephen Graham, playing Springsteen’s father, I have no worries about the standard of acting the film will deliver. My only worry, which realized itself in A Complete Unknown, is an aimlessness to the plot. These biopics often think the glitz and glamour of stardom and the sense of being in the inner sanctum of an idol is enough to satisfy viewers, but it isn’t. All looks, but no substance. Chalamet delivered a stellar performance, as I’m sure three-time Emmy-winner White will, but the plot let him down. Let’s hope there’s no repeating history.
Click here to unpack another piece of media you’re on the edge of your seat for: Stranger Things Season 5.
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