There’s so much meta about Birdman, Michael Keaton’s upcoming dark comedy about an actor famous for playing an iconic superhero who must contend with his fading career as he attempts to remake himself and launch a Broadway play.
Set to the tune of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” the first trailer for the film (embedded below) debuted this week and offers a peek at the angsty, inner demons of Keaton’s character, who wonders aloud, “How did we end up here in this dump? You were a movie star, remember?” While much of the trailer focus on Keaton and hints at some interesting juxtapositions of his big-budget superhero cinema past and the more toned-down, personal issues (and projects) he’s dealing with now, there are also several scenes featuring the film’s impressive supporting cast, which includes Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts.
The trailer seems to indicate that — like all good black comedies — Birdman will pepper the more dramatic elements of the story with some laughs, as evidenced by the final scene with Keaton facing down an underwear-clad Norton in a dressing room. The pair end up wrestling on the floor after Norton’s character taunts Keaton by saying, “Why don’t you get your wings and your bird suit, man?”
Birdman is directed by Oscar-nominated 21 Grams and Babel filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, and hits theaters October 17.
