Justin Timberlake’s latest project marks his return to film.
The actor and singer is set to appear in the Apple TV+ movie Palmer, his first onscreen appearance since Woody Allen’s 2017 film Wonder Wheel.
In Palmer, Timberlake takes on the role of a former college football star named Eddie Palmer who’s released from prison after a 12-year stint. He returns home to Louisiana to live with his grandmother (June Squibb) and get his life together, bonding with a young neighbor named Sam (Ryder Allen) whose mother has left him.
Palmer takes care of Sam, who’s often bullied by other kids, and as cultural outsiders in their community, the pair grow close. But Palmer’s past ultimately causes problems for him.
“Next door is a beautiful 30-year-old woman who’s a meth addict, who has an 8-year-old boy, who likes to play with dolls and dress up as a girl in red state America,” director Fisher Stevens told Billboard. “Justin’s grandmother is co-parenting this boy with the meth addict mom who is always off trying to cop dope.”
The film also stars Juno Temple as Sam’s mother and Alisha Wainwright as Maggie—a teacher and Palmer’s love interest. It’s slated for release on Jan. 29 via Apple TV+.
Earlier this year, Timberlake voiced a character in the animated hit Trolls World Tour, and is known for his appearances in the Oscar-nominated films The Social Network (2010) and Inside Llewyn David (2013).
Watch the trailer for Palmer at the top.
