Today a new trailer for the upcoming film The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell has been released. Directed by Kevin MacDonald (State Of Play, The Last King Of Scotland), the film tells the story of the Ninth Legion of Rome and their disappearance in Scotland. If the story sounds familiar, it’s because we saw a similar plot in the recent film Centurion, a film that wasn’t too highly reviewed but a film that I really enjoyed. Despite having a similar plot, The Eagle looks like it will take a different approach to the story. It also looks like it will be a bit less of a bloodbath than Centurion was, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Check out the trailer after the jump.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
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 vanized 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)
While Tatum and Bell aren’t exactly A-list actors, MacDonald certainly does have an impressive resume. In his hands, I think this can turn out to be a decent film. Will it be as good as Centurion, who knows? I did enjoy Centurion though and the story of the Ninth Roman Legion so I’ll definitely be checking out The Eagle.