Watch the Howl Trailer

If the trailer released for Howl is any indication, James Franco as Allen Ginsberg is proving to be a match made in Beat heaven. The film, written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, brings a talented cast to chronicle Ginsberg’s obscenity trial that followed _Howl_’s controversial publication in 1957.

Franco was cast for the role in 2008, and plays a Ginsberg that is restrained but on-point, especially in regards to Ginsberg’s New York City-influenced vocal intonations. The two have a Columbia University education in common; Franco enrolled in the MFA Writing Program in Fall 2008, and Ginsberg earned a BA in literature in 1949.

Mary-Louise Parker will play prosecution witness and radio personality Gail Potter, Jon Hamm will play defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, and Jeff Daniels will play Professor David Kirk. Other notable characters from the Beat era include Jack Kerouac (Todd Rotondi), Neal Cassady (Jon Prescott), Peter Orlovsky (Aaron Tveit), and Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Andrew Rogers).

The film, which has already made its rounds at various film festivals including Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival, will be released Sept. 24.

Watch the Howl trailer: