First Look of KJ Apa in Jimmy Stewart Biopic Revealed: Mixed Fan Reactions and Everything to Know

KJ Apa is certainly intriguing audiences with the first glimpse of his portrayal of the actor Jimmy Stewart.

The trailer for the November 2026 biopic Jimmy was released on Wednesday, December 17. The movie stars Apa, 28, as the late U.S. Air Force veteran and esteemed actor, best known for his roles in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

It was revealed that the Riverdale alum would portray Stewart in August 2025.

“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life,” Apa said at the time. “As someone from New Zealand, I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity, and a deep sense of duty. It is important to me to give back to a country that has given me so much, and what better way to do that than by honoring a man who served it with great honor.”

The movie will cover the span of time that saw Stewart enlist in the U.S. military during World War II.

Keep scrolling to learn more about Jimmy.

Jimmy Will Be Released in 2026

The biopic is set to be released in theaters on November 6, 2026.

Jimmy Follows a Specific Period in the Late Actor’s Life

The movie focuses on a very specific period in Stewart’s career and life: the span of time during which he won an Oscar for Best Actor for The Philadelphia Story in 1940 and later enlisted in the U.S. military at the outset of World War II.

Per HistoryNet, Stewart was initially turned away by the Army because he was too thin, so he attempted to bulk up and was accepted in March 1941.

Jimmy Stewart’s Daughter Works on the Movie

Stewart’s daughter Kelly Stewart-Harcourt serves as an executive producer on the film. “I have long thought that it would be hard to find an actor who could bring my father to life without doing an extended Jimmy Stewart impersonation,” she told Variety in an interview published in December 2025. “But that actor has been found and his name is KJ Apa. I was privileged enough to visit the set in Ireland this last September, and there, I felt a magic. I know this will be conveyed in the film, and I can’t wait to see it.”

Fans Had Mixed Reactions to the Trailer

The trailer was greeted by a grab bag of reactions on the internet.

A lot of fans seemed to take issue with Apa’s portrayal of Stewart’s voice, but others said he did a decent job. “I’m gonna be real. I think KJ Apa’s Jimmy Stewart impression is pretty good?” wrote one fan via X. “I feel like people saying it’s a bad impression are responding to everything else about the trailer being bad. like Jimmy Stewart just had a silly voice sorry.”

But a second person tossed in their own thoughts: “Hearing his Jimmy Stewart impression ruined my day like omg i really genuinely wholeheartedly hope Chris Evans’ Gene Kelly biopic never goes forward.”

“Jimmy Stewart is one of the greatest to ever do it, but this looks like typical biopic slop featuring truly awful line reads from Jason Alexander and Rob Riggle,” added a third person on X.