The first trailer for Oliver Stone’s Snowden biopic premiered online Tuesday, and while the short teaser offers literally nothing in the way of footage from the movie, its tone hints at the direction that Stone is going to take with his film.
“Army recruit at 20,” the trailer begins as a slowed-down version of “This Little Light of Mine” plays ominously in the background.
“Joined CIA at 22.”
“NSA Contractor at 26.”
“By Age 29.”
“The Most Wanted Man in the World.”
The words are interspersed with close-up shots of a dirtied American flag, revealed at the end to be upside-down. Boom.
“One Nation. Under Surveillance. For Liberty and Justice for All.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to play the titular traitor/hero, while Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage also star. The film will reportedly be based on the books The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding, and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherina.
The film hits theaters on Christmas Day.