John Carney has made a career out of turning songs into emotional lifelines, whether in “Once,” “Sing Street,” or more recent work that treats music as the thing people reach for when everything else starts slipping. With “Power Ballad,” he appears to be pushing that familiar terrain into more bruised, combustible territory—a story where melody still matters, but so do ego, authorship, and the ugly question of who gets to own a great song once it leaves the room.
Lionsgate has released the first trailer for the film, starring Paul Rudd as Rick, a past-his-prime wedding singer, and Nick Jonas as Danny, a fading boy band star. The setup is classic Carney with a sharper edge: the two connect over music and a late-night jam session, only for Danny to turn one of Rick’s songs into the hit that revives his own career—sending Rick after the recognition he thinks should have been his all along.
The film also stars Jack Reynor, Havana Rose Liu, Peter McDonald, and Marcella Plunkett. It had its world premiere as the Closing Night Gala selection at the Dublin International Film Festival on March 1, 2026, before making its North American premiere at SXSW on March 14.
That premise sounds especially well-matched to Carney’s wheelhouse. His best films tend to understand that music can bring people together just as quickly as ambition, resentment, and old disappointments can split them apart. “Power Ballad” opens on May 29, ahead of its June 5 theatrical expansion. Watch the new trailer below.
