A new trailer for director Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries) adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road has landed online.  This trailer starts off pretty fast and loose, but then slows down a bit to give us a better sense of the characters and story.  It also features critic quotes from the film’s Cannes premiere and a peek at the scene where Kristen Stewart’s character, um, "services" Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley’s characters in the car.  I’m really impressed by what we’ve seen of Hedlund as Dean thus far, and this more character-driven trailer gives me hope that Salles found a way of translating Kerouac’s seminal novel for the big screen.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, and Elizabeth Moss.  A U.S. release date has yet to be announced.

Trailer via MSN UK.

Here’s the synopsis for On the Road:

After the death of his father, Sal Paradise, an aspiring New York writer, meets Dean Moriarty, a wild and infectiously charismatic ex-con. They hit it off immediately. Determined to avoid the pitfalls of a narrow, prescribed life, Sal hits the road, joining Dean on what evolves into a life-changing physical and emotional odyssey. Thirsting for freedom, they discover the world, the ecstasy of experience, the connectedness of humanity and ultimately themselves.