Early Reviews Rave About Springsteen Biopic, ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere,’ and Its Star, Jeremy Allen White

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Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen

Deliver Me From Nowhere, the forthcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White (two-time Emmy Award-winner for TV’s The Bear) as The Boss, had its premiere on August 29, 2025, at the Telluride Film Festival and though only a handful of reviews have been published, the praise has been unanimous for the film and its lead actor’s performance. The Scott Cooper-directed film, due in theaters from 20th Century Studios and Disney on October 24, focuses on the creation of Springsteen’s 1982 acoustic album Nebraska. Watch the official trailer below.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “The decision to portray the man not as a Rock God but as a fragile human being who’s also an uncompromising artist gives Deliver Me From Nowhere a solemn integrity.”

“It requires a star to play a star, and an actor to access the Boss’s more introspective side,” said Daily Variety, and The Bear sensation Jeremy Allen White slips easily into the worn denim and sleeveless T-shirts that were Springsteen’s signature.”

Deadline wrote, “If some fans go in expecting the equivalent of a greatest hits package, think again. Deliver Me From Nowhere is the real deal, an intelligent, deliberately paced journey into the soul of an artist.”

In the trailer, which includes a snippet of White singing “Born to Run”—yes, he does his own singing—Springsteen is depicted in his New Jersey bedroom with a guitar tech, working out a new song (which becomes the title track of Nebraska) on acoustic guitar. “Don’t need to be perfect,” he says. “I want it to feel like I’m in the room by myself.”

The two-and-a-half-minute trailer opens with Springsteen sitting in a Camaro in a lot, telling a salesman that he’s never owned a new car, to which the salesman replies, “It’s awfully fitting for a handsome devil rock star.” White, as the singer-songwriter, replies, “Well, that makes one of us.”

The trailer also depicts Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor Jeremy Strong (Succession) as Springsteen’s manager, former music journalist Jon Landau, who tells a record company executive that the new work is “not about the charts. This is about Bruce Springsteen and these are the songs that he wants to work on right now.”

The Landau character also notes that Springsteen was raised in a bedroom with a hole in the floor and says, “What he’s doing with this album is he’s repairing that hole in his floor. He’s repairing that hole in himself…and once he’s done that, he’s going to repair the entire world.”

Many scenes in the film were shot on location around New Jersey, Springsteen’s home state.

The film’s screenplay was written by Cooper, adapted from Warren Zanes’ 2023 book, also titled Deliver Me From Nowhere. Producers include Cooper, Zanes, Scott Stuber and the Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson. Both Springsteen and Landau are involved with the film. [The book is available to order here.]

According to an article in Billboard, “In a chat on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio in January, the 75-year-old rocker was asked if it felt weird to see White play him on screen. ‘A little bit at first, but you get over that pretty quick and Jeremy is such a terrific actor that you just fall right into it. He’s got an interpretation of me that I think the fans will deeply recognize and he’s just done a great job, so I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve had a lot of fun being on the set when I can get there.

“He sings well,” Springsteen added. “He sings very well.”

White has said that the film was “an incredible challenge and a dream come true, and I feel really lucky we all had Bruce’s blessing on this film. It’s the story of a very particular moment in Bruce’s life when he was trying to reconcile the pressure of success and the ghosts of his past.”

According to the Billboard article, “The film also features Odessa Young (A Million Little Pieces) as Springsteen’s girlfriend, Gaby Hoffman (Transparent) as his mom, Adele, Marc Maron (Sticks) as record producer Chuck Plotkin and David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) as a Columbia Records executive.” Jersey Boys star Johnny Cannizzaro portrays Steven Van Zandt, longtime guitarist of Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Listen to the title track from Nebraska

In an early press release announcing the film, David Greenbaum, president, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, said, “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor to be collaborating with Bruce Springsteen, an inspiring and incomparable artist who represents so much to so many. The deep authenticity of his story is in great hands with my friend Scott Cooper whom I am thrilled to be collaborating with once again.”

Nebraska, seen as one of Springsteen’s defining works, was his first acoustic album and sixth studio album in all. Recorded on a four-track recorder, it reached #3 on the Billboard LPs chart upon its release.

Landau, in the press release, said that the book on which the film is based is “one of the best…ever written about Bruce Springsteen and his music. Bruce and I are thrilled that Scott Cooper has chosen to write and direct the film based on that book—we think he’s the perfect filmmaker for the job.”

“I once read that Nebraska is an album that moves you to the marrow of your bones. I couldn’t agree more,” says Cooper in the same release. “Bruce Springsteen, and Nebraska, in particular, have had a profound impact on me and my work. Through themes of despair, disillusionment and the struggles of everyday Americans, Bruce has formed an unparalleled legacy, painting an unflinching portrait of the human condition. Yet, amidst the darkness, a sense of resilience and a sense of hope shines through, reflecting an indomitable spirit. That’s the Bruce I’ve come to know and love and will honor with this film.”

Zanes, in a guest article in The New York Times, wrote, “As a teenager, I felt as if Nebraska was telling me a few things, but one of them in particular stuck with me: ‘You can do this, it said’…Nebraska was dirty, kind of mumbled in sections, its hushed tones punctuated by a few screams; it told scary stories. But it felt so close to the world I lived in. It was a recording I listened to, and I never felt left out. There are times when we need that kind of art. I’d say now is one of them.”

Watch the trailer

Springsteen released Tracks II: The Lost Albums, a set of seven previously unreleased complete albums, on June 27. The 9-LP or 7-CD sets are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here. Further details are here.