Focus Features on Tuesday released the first trailer for Song Sung Blue, giving a first look at Hugh Jackman’s transformation into a Neil Diamond–style performer opposite Kate Hudson. The footage previews the film’s tone, musical performances and the comic partnership at the center of the story.
The trailer shows Jackman, 56, in long shaggy hair and pronounced sideburns, dressed in sequins and denim in a look that echoes Diamond’s stage persona. In several scenes he appears onstage performing alongside Hudson, 46, including renditions of Diamond’s 1966 hit “Cherry, Cherry” and the singalong favorite “Sweet Caroline.” In one exchange from the trailer, Jackman’s character Mike Sardina says, “I’m not a songwriter. I’m not a sex symbol. I just want to entertain people.” Hudson’s Claire replies, “I don’t wanna be a hairdresser. I wanna sing, I wanna dance, I wanna garden, I want a cat.”
Written and directed by Craig Brewer, the film is based on Greg Kohs’s 2008 documentary of the same name; Kohs served as an executive producer on the new project, along with Erika Hampson. Focus Features’ synopsis describes Song Sung Blue as the true story of “two down-on-their-luck musicians” who form a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning & Thunder and find love and renewed purpose.
Alongside Jackman and Hudson, the cast includes Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson and Jim Belushi. Hudson shared on Instagram that filming had wrapped in December and later posted that she had “loved every second” making the film, adding that it would be released in theaters at Christmas. The trailer frames the couple’s onstage chemistry and personal relationship, with Claire telling Mike, “You don’t want to be a Neil Diamond impersonator. You want to be a Neil Diamond interpreter.”
Neil Diamond first released the song “Song Sung Blue” in 1972; it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The new film draws on that musical legacy while centering on the Sardinas’ tribute act and the work they put into recreating Diamond’s sound and showmanship.
The project marks a return to the big screen for Jackman, whose recent credits include 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, as well as earlier roles in The Greatest Showman (2017) and Les Misérables (2012). He has remained active onstage, appearing in the 2022 revival of The Music Man and later in a one‑man show titled From New York with Love.
Jackman’s personal life has also been in the spotlight in recent months following the end of his long marriage to actress Deborra‑Lee Furness. Reports said Furness filed to dissolve the marriage in May; neither Jackman nor Furness has provided a detailed public timeline beyond statements that the separation was amicable. Jackman has been linked publicly with fellow actor Sutton Foster.
Song Sung Blue opens in theaters Dec. 25 through Focus Features. Additional footage and promotional material are expected as the release approaches.
