STX has released the first trailer for 21 Bridges. This is a movie that may not be on a lot of people's radar just yet, but it will be. It features Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman in the lead role reuniting him with Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who serve as producers in what looks like an action-packed cop thriller. What's not to like? Especially considering the first trailer sets up a movie that looks like it could be extremely entertaining.
The trailer kicks off with a big, emotional beat right off the bat that helps set up the Chadwick Boseman character and his motivations. We then get to the meat of the whole thing after a very deadly crime goes south. It's then up to Boseman to stop these criminals and he comes up with a rather bold play to keep them from escaping; literally close down all of the bridges in and out of Manhattan. Hence, the title of the movie. There is a lot going on. A very large amount of cocaine, something to do with the stock market and some pretty solid one-liners, considering it's a cop movie. There's a lot to like here.
It's not surprising that the trailer makes a big deal out of the fact that the Russo brothers are producing this movie, listing off their Marvel movie credits to entice audiences to see what they've cooked up outside of the comic book movie realm. They're not directing though. That duty falls on the shoulders of Brian Kirk, who is known primarily for his work on TV shows like Game of Thrones and Penny Dreadful. The studio also released a poster, totally focused on Chadwick Boseman, whose face occupied most of the one-sheet, with a blue background behind him and a pretty cool tagline layered on top.
"The only way out is through him."
21 Bridges centers on a hard-nosed NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman) with a reputation, who, one fateful night, is put right in the middle of a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a rather large and surprising conspiracy. As the night continues to unfold, lines become blurred on who he is actually going after, and who is coming after him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures must be taken to prevent these criminals from escaping Manhattan, leading the authorities to close all 21 Bridges and every other port of entry in order to prevent any possible escape.
The cast also includes J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Taylor Kitsch (True Detective), Sienna Miller (American Sniper), Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Keith David (The Thing). Matthew Michael Carnahan (Deepwater Horizon) and Adam Mervis (The Philly Kid) penned the screenplay. 21 Bridges is set to hit theaters on July 12, right in the heart of the summer movie season, which indicates a certain level of confidence in the movie on the studio's part. Be sure to check out the trailer from the STX Entertainment YouTube channel below.
