If the first half of Judy Garland's life was A Star Is Born (coincidentally, she starred in the 1954 version of the film), then Judy is its sequel. The upcoming biopic starring Renée Zellweger picks up with the actress 30 years after her iconic Wizard Of Oz role, and just one year before her tragic 1969 death. The actress and singer died from an accidental overdose at the age of 47, but the new official trailer details all the struggles that came before. Clashes with her ex-family, struggles with depression and addiction, and a declining career all combine to create a haunting picture of an icon gone too soon.
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In this first full trailer, we finally get to see Zellweger's representation of Garland in full, which includes several performances in the style of the singer, as well as flirtations with Finn Wittrock, who plays Garland's fifth and final husband Mickey Deans. From these few minutes alone, Zellweger has already started to generate Oscar buzz on Twitter.
Renee Zellweger winning best actress next year for Judy I COULD believe it
— frank (@franktbh) July 8, 2019
Renée Zellweger is coming for an Oscar with her role as Judy.
— shay (@ShayShayReneee) July 8, 2019
Renée Zellweger coming for that second Oscar https://t.co/Ub1WqPAyAR
— Madeline Martha Marcy May Marlene Mackenzie (@ericfloyd) July 8, 2019
But let's not overlook the other star in this trailer: Bella Ramsey from Game Of Thrones, as daughter Lorna Luft.
"Mama, please don't go to sleep now," she pleads as Garland takes a handful of pills.
"No, no no — these are the other ones," Garland replies.
Other stars include Rufus Sewell as Sidney Luft, Michael Gambon as Bernard Delfont, and Jessie Buckley as Rosalyn Wilder. The film is directed by Rupert Goold.
Gemma-Leah Devereux plays the young Liza Minnelli, but the IRL Minnelli isn't to pleased with this retelling of her mother's story, saying that contrary to reports, she never met with Zellweger.
"I have never met nor spoken to Renée Zellweger," she said in a Facebook post. "I don't know how these stories get started, but I do not approve nor sanction the upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way. Any reports to the contrary are 100% fiction."
Judy hits UK cinemas on 4th October 2019
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