Collider is proud to share the exclusive trailer of 5-25-77, an autobiographic comedy by Patrick Read Johnson, one of the first people in the world to see Star Wars. Named after the date of the original Star Wars premiere, the film chronicles Johnson’s journey into filmmaking, which would eventually lead him to see Star Wars before everybody else.

The trailer takes us back to Johnson’s youth when the filmmaker started to produce shorts he could show his family on movie night. Played by John Francis Daley, this teenager version of Johnson is seen using anything he can find as material for his shorts, transforming simple household items into scenery pieces. The trailer also teases how Johnson’s passion for cinema led him to become of the few people ever to watch the first Star Wars film, turning him into the first fan of the franchise.

The new trailer for 5-25-77 also underlines how the movie is a typical coming-of-age story. By exploring his history with Star Wars, Johnson will also document his troubled youth and his pursuit of the dream of becoming a filmmaker.

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Image via MVD Entertainment Group

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Johnson began developing 5-25-77 in 1999. After a long production process, the movie only had its world premiere in 2017 at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois. The movie had a short theatrical run after its premiere but never became available to the public otherwise. Now, MVD Entertainment acquired international distribution rights for 5-25-77 and promised to release it this Fall. Talking about the new release, Eric D. Wilkinson, Director of Acquisitions at MVD Entertainment Group, said:

"It's a real privilege to be working with such a talented and dedicated filmmaker. Being a huge fan of Patrick's work (especially his film Angus) and knowing that 5-25-77 was his passion project, I was determined to invite him to join the MVD family. MVD's slogan is ‘serving artists and audiences’ and I knew we could give Patrick the help and creative freedom to finally finish his film and I'm confident that audiences are going to love the results."

Director Johnson also added:

“On behalf of all of the dedicated, passionate, (and possibly crazy) people who’ve stayed the course with me, all this time, to bring 5-25-77 to the screen, I’d like to thank MVD, and the particular individuals, in this amazing company, who found something special in our film, that compelled them to go above and beyond, in order to make sure audiences everywhere might get the chance to find something special in it, too!”

The film will be a limited release in theaters in September and will be on Digital, VOD and Disc on October 11, 2022. Check out the film’s trailer and synopsis below:

5-25-77 is a coming-of-age comedy inspired by the true story of a nerdy, alienated, hopeful filmmaker named Pat Johnson about growing up, falling in love, and becoming the very first fan of the movie that changed everything, Star Wars.