Watch the First Trailer for Sam Mendes’ World War I Epic 1917

Director Sam Mendes is going to take us to hell. Hell, in this instance, is the battlefields of World War I. Universal has released the first trailer his upcoming WWI epic 1917, starring George MacKay (Captain Fantastic) and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones) as two young British soldiers trying to deliver a message that could save the lives of 1,600 soldiers. 1917 unfolds over a single day, and Mendes has arrayed a stellar list of collaborators to help him pull off the film’s hyper-realistic look. These include three folks who know a thing or two about working on lush period films. These include great cinematographer Roger Deakins, Dunkirk‘s crack editor Lee Smith, and Darkest Hour‘s costume designer Jacqueline Durran.

Joining MacKay and Chapman are a great ensemble, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Claire Duburcq.

The trailer is as intense as you’d imagine a Mendes directed, Deakins shot WWI film.

Check out the 1917 trailer below.

Here’s the official synopsis from Universal:

Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917.

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.

1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful). The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris (co-executive producer, Revolutionary Road; executive producer, Away We Go) for their Neal Street Productions, Jayne-Ann Tenggren (co-producer, The Rhythm Section; associate producer, Spectre), Callum McDougall (executive producer, Mary Poppins Returns, Skyfall) and Brian Oliver (executive producer, Rocketman; Black Swan).

Featured image: Courtesy Universal Pictures