The story of John Callahan might not be familiar to you. It certainly wasn’t to me prior to this trailer. But after reading up on his life and watching Joaquin Phoenix work his magic in the trailer, I’m very interested.

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Trailer – Joaquin Phoenix

Of course the casting of Phoenix as Callahan had some people upset. The reason? Phoenix, a non disabled person, was playing Callahan, a quadriplegic. If you look too far into things you’ll find a reason to get upset about it, and that’s exactly what that “outrage” was about. As far as the trailer goes, it looks fantastic. ‘Isolation’ by John Lennon plays in the background throughout, while Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black star.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better actor than Phoenix to play someone with the life story of John Callahan. A drunk who became a quadriplegic after a car accident and used his new lease on life to became an edgy, derisive cartoonist? That role has Joaquin Phoenix written all over it. The script was adapted by director Gus Van Sant from Callahan’s own autobiography. Van Sant has delved into biographical territory before with the Oscar nominated Milk. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot is slated for a May 11th release.

-Ryan