First Trailer for JFK Drama 'Parkland' Starring Zac Efron and Paul Giamatti

There will be a couple of historical dramas with depictions of President John F. Kennedy vying for some Oscar love this season. Of course there's Lee Daniels' The Butler, which has James Marsden playing the popular leader, and to be honest he does a pretty good at it. The other is Parkland, a film which isn't so much about Kennedy but the people effected by his tragic assassination on November 22nd 1963.

The first trailer for Parkland has been released and interestingly it bears some similarity to the Bobby Kennedy biopic, Bobby, another ensemble about the impact of the legendary political family. Directed by Peter Landesman, the film details the chaotic events at the Parkland hospital, where Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby all were taken. The film does seem to capture the national fear and anxiety of the moment, and we see glimpses of what could be some great performances. Paul Giamatti plays Abraham Zapruder, the man who captured the famous "Zapruder film", and Billy Bob Thornton as Forrest Sorrels, a Secret Service agent and the first by Kennedy's side. Less convincing is Zac Efron as the doctor assigned to operate on Kennedy, and Marcia Gay Harden is especially overwrought.

Overall it looks like a solid film, and with the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination coming up, there should be a lot of eyes on it. Also starring Jeremy Strong, Jacki Weaver, James Badge Dale, Jackie Earle Haley, Ron Livingston, Colin Hanks, Tom Welling, and David Harbour, Parkland will hit TIFF and Venice before opening later this year.