Musket in hand and a fearless sense of leadership in tow, Matthew McConaughey spearheads a rebellion against the Confederacy in the rip-roaring first trailer for Free State of Jones, which has surfaced online for your viewing pleasure.
Thrusting McConaughey Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, and Mahershala Ali into the throes of the American Civil War, it’s the former star who toplines Gary Ross’ period drama as a downtrodden Southern farmer (Newton Knight), who sparks an uprising in Jones County. Less a Knight in shining armor and more of a grizzled, world-weary freedom fighter, McConaughey’s lead helped make history by setting up a tight-knit, mixed-race community that was unique to the Deep South at the time.
Drawing attention to the underlying racial tension and jaw-dropping set pieces, today’s trailer serves up a concise overview of the story without divulging too much, and we’re intrigued to see if the Dallas Buyers Club star can carry a period drama and, by effect, take the next step in his celebrated McConaissance.
Opening on May 13, only time will tell whether Ross’ period epic can compete for box office supremacy with the blockbuster heavyweights of Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse. Even still, with what looks to be another strong and powerful performance by McConaughey at its core, Free State of Jones has landed smack bang on our list of must-see releases for 2016.
Written and directed by four-time Oscar® nominee Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville), and starring Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey, Free State of Jones is an epic action-drama set during the Civil War, and tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.
