PROMISED LAND Gets A First Trailer

Here’s the brand new trailer for PROMISED LAND, Focus Features’ contemporary drama from two-time Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING). Starring Matt Damon, John Krasinski and Oscar-winner Frances McDormand (FARGO), the film is based on a story by Dave Eggers (AWAY WE GO), with an original screenplay by Krasinski and Damon.

Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, a corporate salesman who arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (Frances 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 (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski) who counters Steve both personally and professionally.

Last we saw of Krasinski was alongside Drew Barrymore in BIG MIRACLE. He graduated from Brown University in 2001 as an honors playwright with a B.A. in English literature, so I’ll be interested to see how the script turns out. His first screenplay, as well as assuming the director’s chair, was for  2009’s BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN. As for Oscar winner Damon, he previously starred in Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION and Cameron Crowe’s WE BOUGHT A ZOO. His next film is one I can’t wait to see – ELYSIUM (March 2013) – from director Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9).

ELYSIUM. © 2012 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PROMISED LAND also stars Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), Scoot McNairy (of this October’s Killing Them Softly), Titus Welliver (The Town) and Academy Award nominee Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild).

PROMISED LAND will be released in exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, December 28th, 2012, prior to an expansion in January 2013.