The first images of Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) as legendary musician Jeff Buckley have gone online, featuring the actor performing in character for the film GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY. Buckley is a renowned legend in the music industry, even with only one studio album, Grace, recorded before his untimely death in 1997. The film tracks Buckley’s life just before a 1991 tribute performance that that led to his rise as an artist.
Take a look:
The film also stars Imogen Poots and William Sadler with writer/director Dan Algrant (NAKED IN NEW YORK) at the helm. It seems like they’re taking a very subtle approach to Buckley’s life, focusing on the very early days, rather than trying to encompass the entirety of his life and career. It could make for a compelling peek into the artist, focusing on who he was, rather than where he ended up.
Here’s the synopsis:
Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he learns to embrace all of his feelings toward the father who abandoned him – longing, anger, forgiveness, and love. Culminating a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time.
GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY is set to premiere at TIFF next month, where it will likely pick up a distributor for release. Stay tuned for details.
Check out a performance by Penn Badgley below, as well as one from the real Buckley…