The trailer for "Dance First" has been shared by Sky ahead of the film's world premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival on September 30.
In "Dance First," Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne plays Samuel Beckett with young Beckett played by Fionn O’Shea in a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.
Releasing the trailer, Sky said: "Parisian bon vivant, World War II resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband and recluse, Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts.
"In this playful film, we see his life through his mistakes and fraught relationships with James Joyce (Aidan Gillen), his wife Suzanne (Sandrine Bonnaire), and his lover Barbara Bray (Maxine Peake).
"The film is directed by BAFTA and Academy® Award winner James Marsh ('The Theory of Everything') and written by BAFTA winner Neil Forsyth ('Guilt')."
The film also stars Irish actresses Bronagh Gallagher as Nora Barnacle and Gráinne Good as Lucia Joyce.
"Samuel Beckett is a universal literary icon and his life has never been put on film before," Byrne said.
"In fact, there is very little footage of him anywhere, so it was a fantastic opportunity to be able to put such an important writer and one of the most famous Irishmen who has ever lived on film.
"What I was most intrigued by was how human he was, how deeply emotional he was and it's that contrast between this unapproachable poet of despair and someone who smoked and drank and liked to laugh."
O'Shea, who plays the younger version of Beckett, had similar sentiments: "The responsibility of playing Samuel Beckett is definitely not lost on me.
"Growing up in Ireland I was aware of his work from a young age. Getting the opportunity to learn about the man, alongside the work, has been a really fascinating and rewarding experience."
A Sky Original film, "Dance First" will be released in cinemas from November 3 and will be on Sky Cinema in December and on Sky Arts and Freeview in 2024.
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