This article was originally published on Nov. 19, 2025, and was updated on June 9, 2026.
The Comedy Film Will Follow The Fall Of A Country Star
Country music is no stranger to Hollywood.
Films like James Mangold’s Walk The Line (2005) and Michael Apted’s Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) sought to dramatize the life and legacy of significant country stars, respectively Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn.
Robert Altman’s ensemble comedy drama Nashville (1975), which is set in the country music scene of the 1970s and is frequently cited as one of the greatest American films ever made.
There’s even a new Shania Twain film in the works, titled Shania.
Now, there’s an original country music comedy being developed by Judd Apatow, and rising Hollywood star Glen Powell is starring in the lead. Titled The Comeback King, Powell shared a teaser poster for the film in April, which also revealed that it will be released on Feb. 5, 2027.
Apparently, the film is still in production, as Powell was at CMA Fest over the weekend, and he was in character.
Walking out on stage to the sound of the crowd chanting his character’s name, “King,” we can see from videos online that this was performed a couple times, as evidenced by at least two different outfits sported by Powell.
He then proceeds to chug a beer that he poured into a cowboy boot, calling it “a shoey.”
Speaking to the crowd as himself, Powell told the audience, “Thank you guys for being a part of the movie. I just want to say this movie comes out in February and this movie is for you guys. This is for the fans of country music.”
Talking aside, he then said with a laugh, “I probably have a lot of beer on my face … It’s not a clean way to drink a beer, out of a boot.”
Continuing, he said, “This movie is with the best songwriters in Nashville, it’s with the best, biggest, and best stars in Nashville. It’s for all of you — CMA Fest — this is for the fans. I’ll see you in February.”
Here’s a montage of some of his performance at CMA Fest, which includes drinking beer out of a cowboy boot, here:
Watch the crowd chant “King” for Powell’s character, and then hear him explain that he’s doing “a shoey,” which entails drinking a beer out of a cowboy boot.
See Glen Powell backstage at CMA Fest with Lainey Wilson, in the sixth slide, here:
See Powell’s announcement for the release of the film, here:
Powell, who is 37, was born in Austin, Texas.
Prior to the reveal of the The Comeback King‘s and release date, interest in this upcoming film hit a fever pitch as Powell showed off his singing chops in a country song while hosting Saturday Night Live in November of 2025.
RELATED: Robert Altman’s Country Music Film, ‘Nashville,’ Was Released 50 Years Ago
More About The Forthcoming Film
News of Judd Apatow’s country music comedy first came out in April of 2025, with The Hollywood Reporter noting the film will follow “a country western star in free fall.”
With Glen Powell set to star in the lead role, the actor — who is known for Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Twisters (2024) — is also writing the script with Apatow.
Presently, Powell can be seen on Hulu in his new football comedy series, Chad Powers, which is produced by Eli and Peyton Manning. The show was created by Powell, who co-wrote the first episode.
Of course, Apatow is known for directing bawdy comedies, such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Knocked Up (2007). He also co-wrote the 2007 musician biopic parody film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
The Comeback King is expected to begin production sometime soon.
Watch Glen Powell Sing Country Song On SNL
This past weekend, on November 15, Glen Powell hosted Saturday Night Live.
The episode saw Powell humorously interact with a real UPS driver, as well as play a sassy soldier with a bob.
Powell also had the opportunity to show off his singing chops ahead of his upcoming country music film…
In a pre-taped music video for an original SNL country song, titled “I Miss My Ex’s Dad,” SNL cast newcomers Tommy Brennan and Ben Marshall play two young men who miss hanging out with their ex-girlfriends’ fathers.
Playing one of the ex’s dads is Powell, who sports a mustache and a ponytail.
One of Powell’s character’s daughter’s exes sings the following:
“Your socks, your Crocs, you’re the ideal male with your ponytail. I don’t miss his daughter at all, which I know is bad, I just miss my ex’s dad.”
Near the end of the song, Powell then gets the chance to sing, showing off a gravely dad voice as he expresses that the feeling is mutual, singing, “I miss my daughter’s ex.”
Watch Glen Powell and the SNL cast sing “I Miss My Ex’s Dad,” here:
In a behind the scenes look at the music video, Tommy Brennan said, “Glen’s got an incredible country music vibe. How do you not write a country song for this guy?”
Powell added that he sings with a “Texas-approved” twang.
Watch the behind the scenes look at “I Miss My Ex’s Dad,” here:
