Justin Timberlake Returns to Acting With Emotional Role in Trailer for ‘Palmer’

Justin Timberlake is making his return to the big screen with his new Apple TV+ film Palmer, which released its first trailer Thursday. The “SexyBack” singer last appeared in an acting role in 2017’s Wonder Wheel and as the voice of Branch in Trolls World Tour earlier this year, but returns to the screen on Jan. 29 as a former college football star named Eddie Palmer trying to rebuild his life after serving 12 years in prison.

In the trailer, Timberlake plays a somber Palmer as he returns to live with his grandmother (June Squibb) in Louisiana, where he forms a bond with a young boy named Sam (Ryder Allen), who has been abandoned by his mother and faces bullying at school. Palmer’s past comes back to haunt him as the people in town and ultimately the legal system come to be a problem in his newly-formed life. Directed by Fisher Stevens and also starring Juno Temple as Sam’s mother and Alisha Wainwright as Maggie, a teacher who becomes a romantic interest for Timberlake’s character, the movie will be available on Apple TV+ on Jan. 29.

Timberlake shared the trailer on his Instagram after its release, writing in the caption, “This story is really important to me and I’m proud to be part of it.” Many of his famous friends and fans weighed in on the first look, with actor Josh Brolin commenting, “Can’t wait to see,” and Erin Andrews chiming in, “Yeeeeees!!! Can’t wait for this!” One fan noted they were “already crying” at the trailer, while another wrote, “This just made me cry! Beautiful story and can’t wait to watch it!”

The former boy bander’s background may be in music, as he became a household name with *NSYNC, but his acting chops have been applauded by critics in movies such as the Oscar-nominated films The Social Network in 2010 and Inside Llewyn Davis in 2013.

It’s been a big year for Timberlake, who also became a father of two with wife Jessica Biel over the summer. The pair, already parents to 5-year-old son Silas, have yet to confirm the arrival of their second child, but good friend Jimmy Fallon told Entertainment Tonight last month that he was already in love with the new arrival. “So cute,” Fallon said, when asked about the latest addition to Timberlake’s family. “Oh my gosh — adorable and already funny. [For Christmas,] I would get him a binky for the new baby.”