'The End Of The Tour' Trailer: Jason Segel Is David Foster Wallace

It's been seven years since David Foster Wallace died, but his influence still lingers, and will for years to come. In The End of the Tour, Jesse Eisenberg plays a Rolling Stone journalist who reflects on the time he spent with the author (played by Jason Segel), shortly after Infinite Jest made him a literary rock star.

James Ponsoldt directed the film, and his knack for genuine, heartfelt drama shines through in the first The End of the Tour trailer. Check it out after the jump. A24 revealed the first The End of the Tour trailer on YouTube.

While a familiarity with Wallace's work probably doesn't hurt, it's by no means a prerequisite for enjoying this film. Germain, who admitted to not knowing much about the subject, went nuts for The End of the Tour at Sundance, praising everything from the screenplay to the performances to the direction.

Wallace's family has already voiced their objections to the project, and some critics have speculated that Wallace himself would have been none too pleased either. "To its credit, The End of the Tour makes it very clear that David Foster Wallace would have fucking hated The End of the Tour," wrote Vulture.

But for Wallace's fans, and for film fans in general, The End of the Tour looks like a real treat. Ponsoldt is a sensitive director who brings out great performances, and Segel's is said to be one of the best surprises to come out of this year's Sundance.

The End of the Tour arrives in theaters July 31, 2015.

THE END OF THE TOUR tells the story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter (and novelist) David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties – but it's never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audio tapes were packed away in Lipsky's closet. The two men did not meet again. The film is based on Lipsky's critically acclaimed memoir about this unforgettable encounter, written following Wallace's 2008 suicide. Both Segel and Eisenberg reveal great depths of emotion in their performances and the film is directed with humor and tenderness by Sundance vet James Ponsoldt from Pulitzer- Prize winner Donald Margulies' insightful and heartbreaking screenplay.