Warner Bros debuted the first look at A Star Is Born, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper alongside Lady Gaga.

“It’s a big swing, this movie,” said Cooper, who co-wrote the script and spent several years selling the studio on his vision, and his belief that Lady Gaga could launch as a feature star the way that Whitney Houston did in The Bodyguard. Cooper told the CinemaCon crowd that always wanted to do a love story and the best way to express that is through music.

Cooper REX/Shutterstock

“We jumped on stage in front of real crowds,” said Cooper.

In the new movie, Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Gaga). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory.

It’s a poignant, honest trailer about songwriters and singers, and their struggles. Cooper croons country, and Gaga’s mellifluous voice kicks in three-quarters into the trailer with a big “Aaahhh.” While she wasn’t onstage, Gaga’s voice spoke for her in the trailer. Cooper’s character performs in what looks like a jazz burlesque club. He meets the ingenue at the bar, and sparks ignite as it is clear she has the potential to ascend as quickly as he is descending.

Warners generally doesn’t release its CinemaCon-premiered footage, but we will post the video when it becomes available. The pic opens October 5.