An Oscar for Ben Stiller?

The Ben Stiller-directed adaptation/remake of the 1939 James Thurber short story "The Secret Life of Walter Witty" took a long time to get off the ground. Watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 's second trailer, it's easy to see why: This movie's a big commitment. The scope, the cinematography, everything; it's a very grounded story that goes to some very un-grounded places.

Starring Ben Stiller as the title character, Kristen Wiig as his office love interest, and Adam Scott as his (beardy) boss, Walter Mitty is an adaptation of a movie that was in turn an adaptation of a story that follows a mild-mannered man's fantastical daydreams inspired by his mundane surroundings. The 1947 film version, which starred Danny Kaye, is the more direct inspiration for the film, in which those elaborate fantasies then start to intersect with a real-life journey.

The film premieres Dec. 25, and has already been on the receiving-end of awards season buzz since its premiere at the New York Film Festival. We highly recommend that you watch the trailer; though it does veer into cheese at moments (Kristen Wiig with the guitar in the helicopter scene, for example), over all it seems like a sweet, introspective but simultaneously sweeping film. We're genuinely curious to see where this one goes.

Images: Samuel Goldwyn Films via Youtube