Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere biopic drops first trailer with Jeremy Allen White as The Boss

Move over Bob Dylan, it’s Bruce Springsteen’s turn now.

The first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere dropped overnight, and with a release date in October, it looks like it’s priming for an Oscar campaign.

The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White will play Springsteen as a young man on the verge of super-superstardom as he sets off to make his seminal record Nebraska, which he recorded from his bedroom on a 4-track.

It’s a formative moment in his artistry, as he contends with his changed fortunes, recognition and reconciling his sometimes-painful childhood.

The trailer features clips of White as The Boss as well as Jeremy Strong as producer and manager Jon Landau, Australian actor Odessa Young as love interest Faye, Paul Walter Hauser as engineer Mike Batlan, and David Krumholtz as a music executive.

There are also black-and-white flashbacks to his younger days, with Stephen Graham and Gaby Hoffman playing Springsteen’s parents.

As the Landau character says in the video, “When Bruce was little, he had a hole in the floor of his bedroom. The floor, it’s supposed to be solid. You’re supposed to be able to stand on it. Bruce didn’t have that.

“Bruce is a repairman, and what he’s doing with this album is he’s repairing that hole in his floor, he’s repairing the hole in himself, and once he’s done that, he’s going to repair the entire world.”

Nebraska remains one of Springsteen’s most beloved releases and features the tracks Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman and Johnny 99, while the trailer also features White singing other classics including Born in the USA.

In January, Springsteen confirmed White does his own singing in the film, and endorsed it by declaring, “He sings well, he sings very well”.

The film is directed by Scott Cooper, who’s not a stranger to the genre. His debut feature was the 2009 music-themed movie Crazy Heart, inspired by the story of country singer Hank Thompson, which won Jeff Bridges an Oscar for his performance.

Cooper has also directed crime thrillers Black Mass and Out of the Furnace, western Hostiles, mystery The Pale Blue Eye and horror movie Antlers. He frequently works with Christian Bale.

Cooper also wrote the screenplay, which he adapted from Warren Zane’s book, Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.

The filmmaker said in a statement, “Making Springsteen was deeply moving as it allowed me to step inside the soul of an artist I’ve long admired – and to witness, up close, the vulnerability and strength behind his music. The experience felt like a journey through memory, myth and truth.

“And more than anything, it was a privilege to translate that raw emotional honesty to the screen, and in doing so, it changed me. I cannot thank Bruce and Jon Landau enough for allowing me to tell their story.”

Springsteen continues the recent spate of musical biopics of famed musicians including films about Elton John (Rocketman), Amy Winehouse (Back to Black), Billie Holiday (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody), Bob Marley (One Love), Whitney Houston (I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Elvis Presley (Elvis), and NWA (Straight Outta Compton).

Last year, the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown earnt $US140 million at the box office and was nominated for eight Oscars, including in best picture and for Timothee Chalamet in best actor.

White, a multiple Emmy winner for his role in The Bear, which returns for its fourth season next week, looks to be an early contender for the 2026 Oscar ceremony.

In an interview with The New York Times this week, Springsteen doubled down on his criticisms of Donald Trump. He called the current situation “an American tragedy”.

“I think it was the combination of the de-industrialisation of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue. And while I can’ believe it was this moron that came along, he fit the bill for some people.

After Springsteen called the Trump government as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous”, the US president hit back and called the singer “high overrated” and said he “never liked him, never liked his music” and a “pushy, obnoxious jerk”.

Springsteen is universally acclaimed for giving voice to working class communities through his music.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere will be in cinemas on October 23