The first trailer for director Dan Algrant’s biopic drama Greetings from Tim Buckley has landed online.  The film stars Penn Badgley as famed singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley and tracks the artist’s life in relation to his famous father, Tim Buckley, who he barely knew.  The trailer teases a couple of strong performances from Badgley and Imogen Poots, and the simultaneous tracking of Jeff and Tim Buckley’s lives is an interesting angle.  The pic recently debuted at the Toronto Film Festival.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

With the Toronto International Film Festival in full swing, we have some acquisition news to bring your way tonight. First up, Magnet Releasing announced that it has acquired the worldwide rights to director Bobcat Goldthwait’s God Bless America. Per the press release, Magnet is planning a 2012 theatrical release for the film through Magnolia Pictures’ Ultra VOD program. Starring Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr and Mackenzie Brooke Smith, the film follows Frank (Murray), a jobless and potentially dying man whose frustrations manifest themselves via dispatching generally unlikable people. In case you missed it, click here to check out Matt’s review of the film from TIFF.

Up next, Celluloid Dreams announced that it has picked up worldwide rights to co-writer/director Dan Algrant’s drama Greetings from Tim Buckley. Starring Penn Badgley, Imogen Poots, Frank Wood, Jessica Stone and Frank Bello, the pic follows Jeff Buckley (Badgley) as he romances a young woman (Poots) while attempting to understanding the father who abandoned him. The film is currently shooting in New York which means that a 2012 release could well be within reach. For a little more on the God Bless America and Greetings from Tim Buckley acquisitions, check out the press releases after the jump.

Penn Badgley (Easy A and Gossip Girl) has signed on to play the late Jeff Buckley in co-writer/director Dan Algrant’s (Naked in New York and People I Know) upcoming drama Greetings from Tim Buckley. Per the press release from Smuggler Films, the film will center on the days leading up to Buckley’s 1991 performance at his father’s (the late Tim Buckley) tribute concert and will feature a romance with a young woman who helps him better understand his father who died at the age of 28. In discussing the role, Badgley showed reverence for the opportunity to play the legendary singer-songwriter, saying:

“To play a man who was singularly gifted as an artist, greatly misunderstood & mythologized as a human being… It’s something very special and sacred. I’m going to give all I can to this project.”

Greetings from Tim Buckley is slated to begin production in New York City this August. For more on the project, hit the jump for the full press release.