Few showbiz stories are as heartbreaking as that of Judy Garland, something that director Rupert Goold is looking to explore, in part, in his biopic Judy. Written by Tom Edge and starring Renée Zellweger as the iconic performer, Judy will chronicle the final year of Garland's life, where she embarks on a new tour and a new romance while fighting an exhaustion that has long plagued her as someone who worked nonstop since she was practically a baby.

The teaser trailer shows a biopic full of all of the drama and spectacle that you would imagine from such a tale, with Goold (a 2019 Tony Award nominee) saying of the film in a press release:

"I had always wanted to make a film that explores great performance and its cost. The most fertile ground for such exploration seemed to be at the end of a lifetime of performance.  For over 40 years Judy Garland had laughed and loved and entertained no matter what life threw at her, and her public adored her for it.  But she paid a price in a childhood lost to Hollywood, an emotional exhaustion and a yearning for a "normal" life beyond the rainbow.  It is a powerful and moving story that I hope will inspire new audiences to discover Judy Garland's joyous legacy.

I felt Renee was uniquely qualified to play Judy.  First, because she is a great, Oscar-winning dramatic actress.  Second, she is a wonderful comedienne.  And third, I knew from CHICAGO that she could sing.  I made it clear to Renee that I wasn't looking for an impersonation of Judy Garland's inimitable voice, but what I wanted was for Renee to make the songs her own and this she did to thrilling effect."

Judy also stars Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, and Michael Gambon, and will be released in theaters September 27th. Check out the teaser trailer below: 

Here's the official synopsis for Judy:

Winter 1968 and showbiz legend Judy Garland arrives in Swinging London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk of the Town.

It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown.

 

As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through.  Even her dreams of romance seem undimmed as she embarks on a courtship with Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband.

 

And yet Judy is fragile.  After working for 45 of her 47 years, she is exhausted; haunted by memories of a childhood lost to Hollywood; gripped by a desire to be back home with her kids.  Will she have the strength to go on?

 

Featuring some of her best-known songs, including the timeless classic ‘Over the Rainbow’, JUDY celebrates the voice, the capacity for love and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer”.

 

judy-renee-zellweger-bella-ramsey-lewin-lloyd
Image via Roadside Attractions
judy-renee-zellweger-image-2
Image via Roadside Attractions