Last week saw the release of a brilliant new trailer for After Earth, which sees Will Smith and his son, Jaden Smith, take centre stage in the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan blockbuster.
The new trailer definitely gives the impression that After Earth will be the adrenaline-fuelled action ride we’ve been expecting. And to follow it up, a new international trailer has surfaced online, with real-life and on-screen father and son looking ready for action.
Shyamalan hasn’t been seen on the big screen since the release of The Last Airbender in 2010, which was notoriously panned by critics, despite being a reasonable success for Paramount at the box office. The footage we’ve seen from his latest effort suggests it’s going to be a big hit, and here’s to hoping that the critics will be singing his praises once more come June.
After Earth is set 1000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.
The two Smiths look set to be almost a solo duo for much of the film, if the trailer is anything to go by. And starring alongside them will be Isabelle Fuhrman, Zoë Kravitz, and Sophie Okonedo.
Shyamalan is directing from a script he co-wrote with Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli), with the Oscar-nominated Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) hired for a polish.
After Earth will be released in regular and IMAX theatres on 7th June in the UK and US. Originally, its US release date was to see it open against Now You See Me and The Internship, as well as the limited release of Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing. But Summit have made a wise move, I think to bring forward Now You See Me by a week, which should help boost the performances of all the films involved.
