Gus Van Sant has had a rather interesting career. He’s brought us some amazing films such as Good Will Hunting, Milk, and Elephant, though he has also had his share of duds like Paranoid Park and his misguided shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. Now, the two-time Academy Award nominee is back with his latest work entitled Promised Land.
Today, thanks to The Film Stage, we have the first trailer for the film, which stars Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, and Hal Holbrook.
For those unfamiliar with the film, here’s the official synopsis:
Corporate salesman Steve Butler (Damon) arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (McDormand). With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (Krasinski) who counters Steve both personally and professionally.
First impressions of the trailer make it seem like another hard-hitting drama, something Van Sant is well-known for. The cast is certainly impressive and could go a long way towards turning this story into something fascinating to watch. With Van Sant’s past successes, I’ll certainly be giving it a shot.
Promised Land hits limited theaters on December 28th before expanding on January 11th.
Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments.