See Justin Timberlake’s return to acting in emotional ‘Palmer’ trailer

Justin Timberlake is back on the big screen. (Well, maybe your living room big screen.) TODAY debuted a trailer for his new Apple TV+ movie “Palmer” on Thursday, which marks his first on-screen appearance since the 2017 Woody Allen movie “Wonder Wheel”.

The pop star, who also lent his voice to the animated hit “Trolls World Tour” earlier this year, plays a former college football star named Eddie Palmer who is trying to get his life together after serving 12 years in prison.

The trailer shows Palmer’s somber return home to Louisiana to live with his grandmother (June Squibb) and his unlikely bond with a young boy named Sam (Ryder Allen), whose mother has abandoned him.

Palmer’s care for the boy, who faces bullying from his peers, then comes under fire from people in town and ultimately the legal system as Palmer’s past comes back to haunt him.

The movie is directed by Fisher Stevens and also stars Juno Temple as Sam’s mother and Alisha Wainwright as Maggie, a teacher who develops a romantic interest in Timberlake’s character. The film will be released on Jan. 29 on Apple TV+.

It’s the latest acting foray for the pop star, who began his career as an actor/musical performer on “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1990s before achieving global stardom as a member of the boy band NSYNC.

He made his return to acting in 2000 and has been lauded for his performances in the Oscar-nominated films “The Social Network” in 2010 and “Inside Llewyn Davis” in 2013.

TODAY