‘Trumbo’ Trailer: Bryan Cranston Gets Blacklisted

Bryan Cranston took a little break from leading roles since the end of Breaking Bad, which might have been a smart move after being so prevalent in our pop culture consciousness for several years. But that’s changing with Trumbo, the new film in which Cranston stars as the famously disgraced screenwriter, and the first trailer is quite fetching.

Cranston stars as screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, whose political ideals put him in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he was found guilty of communism and sentenced to an 11-month stint in prison. Trumbo was blacklisted from Hollywood, but that didn’t prevent him from continuing to write under pseudonyms and going on to win two Oscars for Best Screenplay — one for Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn, and another for The Brave One.

Trumbo is directed by Jay Roach, the man behind the Austin Powers trilogy and the first two Meet the Parents films. His latest film looks like a refreshing change for the director, whose only real serious credits include the HBO political films Game Change and Recount. The cinematography in the trailer above is evocative of more classic filmmaking, which is definitely an interesting choice.

The successful career of 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. TRUMBO (directed by Jay Roach) tells the story of his fight against the U.S. government and studio bosses in a war over words and freedom, which entangled everyone in Hollywood from Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and John Wayne to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger.

Trumbo features a great supporting cast, including Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Diane Lane, Elle Fanning, John Goodman and Michael Stuhlbarg. The film hits theaters on November 6.