In case you didn’t already know this, James Stewart—yes, “It’s A Wonderful Life” Jimmy Stewart—set down his Academy Award and put on the uniform of the Army Air Corps to fight in World War II. He enlisted as a private and by the time the war was over, he had flown 20 combat missions over Germany as leader of a squadron of B-24s, earning him the rank of colonel, not to mention his two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the French Croix de Guerre.
Also Read: The new Jimmy Stewart biopic depicts his World War II service
He continued his military career after World War II in the Air Force Reserve, rising to the rank of brigadier general, and receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
And while it all sounds exciting and noble, and in many ways it is, the truth is that the war left Stewart feeling broken and despaired. What a gift, then, that the remarkable screenplay for “It’s a Wonderful Life” would come to him. What a gift to us all that he accepted the role.
After months of whispers and teaser trailers, the official trailer is finally here for “Jimmy,” the movie, and it promises an emotional look into the heart of a man who could have enjoyed his fame and comfort, but chose to serve his country.
JIMMY – Official Trailer
I had the chance to talk with Neal McDonough—yes, that Neal McDonough (“Band of Brothers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Minority Report”)—who plays Jimmy’s father Alexander Stewart in the film. McDonough, who comes from a military family, told me how important the film was for him.
“My character, Jimmy’s dad, who was a World War I hero and whose father was in the war, and who came from generations of such men,” McDonough said. “For Jimmy to have disapproval from his father, to hear, ‘You’re not a warrior. You’re not one of us. You’re just an actor. And that’s okay. Just be an actor and let the men do their job.’ Jimmy Stewart, by all rights should have believed his dad and stayed out of it and just made his movies. Jimmy Stewart didn’t need to do what he did. He didn’t need to go on those missions as a pilot, but he did. He gave everything he had to the country he loved so much. He was the truest of heroes.”
That call to serve is one of the overarching themes of “Jimmy,” and McDonough hopes it will serve as a takeaway for audiences.
“We need to be more like Jimmy,” he said. “We need to be heroes in everything that we do. Be the best spouse you can be. Be the best parent you can be. Be the best coworker you can be. Not for glory. For service.”
We discussed the pain and trauma that Jimmy Stewart went through during World War II.
“He would be a different man forever,” McDonough observed. “This was still a time when we didn’t have the language for combat-related trauma, but a generation felt it and suffered from it—even legends like Stewart.”
In fact, that feeling allowed him to infuse so much of his character George Bailey’s hopelessness and sadness into the role. In many ways, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was exactly what Stewart needed to keep living, and the film offers us all the reminder that we can never know exactly the impact we have on others, but we must stick around and connect with them to find out.
It was very telling that a man like McDonough, whose own career spans decades of illustrious credits, felt such gratitude and awe for “Jimmy.”
“It was a different type of filmmaking. It was palpable. It was all about Jimmy’s feeling of loss—and we’ve all felt that way,” McDonough gushed. “And let me tell you, KJ Apa crushed it. Can we talk about him for just a moment? I’ve been around a lot of actors. KJ Apa did this fearlessly—to play Jimmy Stewart? He gave just a remarkable performance.”
It’s never easy to portray a real person, let alone someone as beloved and well known as Stewart, but McDonough insists that Apa gave everything he had to tell the truth about Jimmy Stewart.
“And he did it.”
By the looks of the trailer, McDonough is right.
“Jimmy” is written by Justin Strawhand (War Against the Weak”) and directed by Aaron Burns (“Legacy Peak”) and includes McDonough, Apa (“Riverdale”), Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”), Rob Riggle (“12 Strong”), Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy”).
The film will be released exclusively in theaters on Nov. 6, 2026.
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