'Annette' Trailer: Adam Driver And Marion Cotillard Fall In Love And Sing About It In Leos Carax's Musical

A musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard is already one of the most anticipated movies set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival — and why would it not be? Annette comes from director Leos Carax (Boy Meets Girl, Holy Motors) and has music written by Sparks, the pop/rock band recently profiled in Edgar Wright's first documentary feature, The Sparks Brothers. But if all those things can't convince you to be excited for the film, check out the intriguing Annette trailer below.

Adam Driver stars as a stand-up comedian who falls in love with a renowned opera singer played by Marion Cotillard. What follows is a tumultuous love affair and a baby daughter who may have an "exceptional destiny," all set to songs written by Sparks, whose first single for the movie, titled "So May We Start," can be heard throughout this trailer.

The trailer for Annette works in mysterious ways, revealing little of the story or plot, but simply leaving us with an impressionistic, borderline surreal vision of a dangerous relationship between two very intense and talented people. The biggest mystery, however, is the casting of Driver as a stand-up comedian — don't get me wrong, Driver is a talented actor, but he would probably make the scariest stand-up comic ever.

Here is the official synopsis for Annette:

Los Angeles, today. Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. Under the spotlight, they form a passionate and glamorous couple. With the birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, their lives are turned upside down. A film by visionary director Leos Carax (Holy Motors), with story & music by Ron & Russell Mael of Sparks, this original musical is a journey of love, passion & fame.

Annette is an interesting experiment. It was first conceived as a Sparks studio album, and eventually became a feature film after the musicians discussed the story with director Leos Carax at 2013's Cannes Film Festival. The film's entire soundtrack is composed and performed by Sparks, with Carax co-writing, with the cast featuring as additional voices.

"Initially, we conceived Annette as another Sparks album," Sparks said in a statement:

"Yet this time it would be a narrative story that would consist of three main characters, a small enough ensemble that would allow us to also present the 'opera' live on tour... The music, story and album were finished and ready to go, which is where the story takes a huge detour. After meeting Leos at Cannes, we felt a real kinship, so we thought we would send him Annette, not expecting anything other than to show him what Sparks was currently up to. And lo and behold, he said he really liked the album and would like to consider it as his next project. We were happily surprised and elated at his reaction. As fans of Leos' films, to now realize that he would be directing a film of ours was beyond our dreams."

Annette is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 6, 2021. It will then head to theaters and Amazon Prime Video in the United States sometime in late summer 2021.