KJ Apa Plays James Stewart in 'Jimmy', Opening 6 November
The biopic Jimmy opens in theatres on Friday, 6 November 2026, with KJ Apa in the role of Oscar-winning actor James Stewart. Deadline published its review of the film today, 3 November.
The first half of the story follows Stewart's wartime service. Per the Deadline review, he served with the U.S. Army Air Corps, flew 20 combat missions over Europe as a pilot, and rose to colonel by the end of the war. He later became a brigadier general. Deadline's review puts that military record at the centre of the film.
His daughter, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, is an executive producer on the project. Per the same review, she has said her father never spoke to her or her siblings about his World War II years. In October, Deadline reported that she praised Apa for bringing her father to life, calling the performance "eerie."
The later part of the film moves to Hollywood. It centres on the making of It's a Wonderful Life, the 1946 film that is now a fixture of the holiday season, and on Stewart's doubts about returning to acting after the war. Jason Alexander plays MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, and Rob Riggle plays Col. Terrill. Aaron Burns directed.
Apa is best known to many viewers from the teen drama Riverdale. For this role he has been talking publicly about the part. He appeared on TODAY in October to discuss becoming Stewart, and the film's official site bills Jimmy as the untold true story of its subject.
The first trailer, released in December 2025, showed Apa on the set of It's a Wonderful Life and wrestling with whether to enlist in the war. That early footage set up the two threads the finished film now follows.
The release date puts the film into the run-up to the holiday season. A story about how a Christmas favourite was made arrives as cinemas prepare for their busiest weeks of the year, and audiences can judge the result for themselves from Friday.
