When the news broke yesterday that Channing Tatum was in talks for Jonah Hill's 21 Jump Street redo, it was proof that he's a hunky actor intent on not sticking to the same beefcake roles for the rest of his life. Now here's more evidence, albeit in a movie that emphasizes his action hero skills more than anything-- the first trailer for The Eagle has landed at Apple, giving us our first good look at Kevin McDonald's sword-and-sandals Roman epic.
Tatum plays the son of the Roman general Flavius Aquina who led 5,000 soldiers to their mysterious death in the northern reaches of the empire; 20 years later Tatum's character is intent on discovering the reason for their disappearance, and in recovering the eagle statue that was the symbol of their entire unit. He's accompanied on his journey by the slave Esca (Jamie Bell), whom he fears will betray him. Turns out, his fears are probably correct. Check out the trailer below or in high-res at Apple and meet us after for the full synopsis and links to more images in our preview gallery.
In 140 AD, two men - master and slave - venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism...The Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell and is directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald. 20 years earlier, Rome's 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius' son Marcus (Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle. Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father's disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave's identity and loyalty - a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).
