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The Fabelmans Trailer Reveals Steven Spielberg's Imaginative Childhood
Experience the formative years of one of Hollywood's most iconic directors with The Fabelmans trailer. Co-written and directed by Steven Spielberg, the film acts as a semi-biography of his younger years living in post-World War II Arizona as he dreams of escaping his difficulties adjusting to the times by making films. The Predator actor Gabriel LaBelle is leading the cast of The Fabelmans as the fictionalized Spielberg alongside Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Julia Butters, Keeley Karsten and Judd Hirsch.
Spielberg has been toying with the concept of a film about his childhood since the late '90s, with his sister Anne Spielberg initially penning a draft for the project, previously titled I'll Be Home, though let it sit in the backburner due to an uncertainty about telling his story. After being told by multiple friends and collaborators, including co-writer Tony Kushner, to push forward with the film, he developed an outline with Kushner on West Side Story and began casting in 2021, with Michelle Williams being the first brought on as the fictionalized version of Spielberg's mom. Production on The Fabelmans ran during Summer 2021 and now audiences are getting their first glimpse at the semi-autobiopic.
On the heels of making its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, Universal Pictures has released the official The Fabelmans trailer. The video offers the first proper look at Spielberg's semi-autobiographical drama exploring his youth and first dive into the world of filmmaking. Check out the moving first trailer below:
Though a number of filmmakers have delivered films inspired by their own upbringings in the past, ranging from Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused to George Lucas' American Graffiti, Spielberg is one of the few to more or less helm a direct telling of his life story. Cameron Crowe memorably brought his experiences as a Rolling Stone reporter to life with Almost Famous, for which he earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, while Alfonso Cuarón adapted his own childhood for the screen with Roma, which netted him three Oscar wins, including Best Director. Interestingly, Spielberg is also one of two filmmakers to be bringing their life stories to this year's TIFF, with "Weird Al" Yankovic having penned his biographical parody film starring Daniel Radcliffe, which has debuted to widespread acclaim.
The first The Fabelmans trailer is packed full of iconic Spielberg trademarks, but mostly notable is his clear love of the cinema, which served as an escape for the director from some of the troubles of his youth. With the film already debuting to strong reviews at TIFF and receiving an impressive two standing ovations, the trailer is sure to help build further anticipation for a look back at Spielberg's life. Only time will tell if audiences are just as receptive as critics when The Fabelmans hits theaters on November 11.
