Star Wars Vets Tease Netflix’s Acclaimed Train Dreams With a Haunting New Trailer

Netflix just dropped a new trailer for 'Train Dreams,' the period drama with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones — yes, both Star Wars alums — and the rollout is right around the corner. It hits select U.S. theaters on November 7, then lands on Netflix November 21. Early buzz from Sundance is strong, and the Rotten Tomatoes score is already doing the victory lap.

What the trailer is selling

Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker trying to figure out his place as the world around him speeds ahead. Felicity Jones is Gladys, his wife. The footage leans into wide-open American landscapes, the push-pull between old ways and new industry, and Robert’s search for purpose. The trailer also flashes the film’s warm reception out of Sundance 2025, because of course it does.

'The film is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.'

Who is making this (and why that matters)

Clint Bentley directs and co-wrote the script with Greg Kwedar, adapting Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella — a beloved, spare piece of writing that’s not exactly obvious movie material, which makes this an interesting swing. Will Patton narrates, which is a nice, gravelly cherry on top.

Executive producers: Edgerton, Scott Hinckley, Greg Kwedar, John Friedberg. Producers: Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, William Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler.

Cast at a glance

• Joel Edgerton (Golden Globe nominee; 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith') as Robert Grainier
• Felicity Jones (Academy Award nominee; 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story') as Gladys Grainier
• Nathaniel Arcand as Ignatius Jack
• Clifton Collins Jr.
• John Diehl as Billy
• Paul Schneider as Apostle Frank
• Kerry Condon as Claire
• William H. Macy as Arn Peeples
• Will Patton as the narrator

Release plan and reception so far

World premiere: Sundance Film Festival 2025. Before anyone buys a ticket, it’s sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes from 47 reviews — the kind of number that makes the hype machine hum. We will see how that holds once it expands, but for now, this one looks like a quietly ambitious watch with a pretty stacked supporting cast.