'Black Klansman' Trailer: Spike Lee And Jordan Peele Unite, And The Early Reactions Are In

Focus Features has just unveiled the first trailer for a new undercover thriller called Black Klansman – or BlacKkKlansman, if you prefer its stylized title. John David Washington (Ballers) stars alongside Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) in this incredible true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the notorious Ku Klux Klan hate group in the 1970s, and that's not the only notable pairing of this film – it also teams producer Jordan Peele (Get Out) with director Spike Lee. Check out the first Black Klansman trailer below.

Black Klansman Trailer

Is it August yet? Because this looks fantastic, and I'd like to see it right now. I don't watch Ballers so I'm not familiar with John David Washington (a former football star who happens to be the son of Denzel Washington), but this looks like a terrific starring role for him, and he seems very much up to the challenge. Adam Driver, who recently played a goofy redneck in Steven Soderbergh's heist movie Logan Lucky, continues to showcase his versatility as a performer here. This trailer has singlehandedly catapulted this movie to one of my most anticipated films of the year.

And look at that supporting cast! The Wire's Isiah Whitlock Jr., Straight Outta Compton's Corey Hawkins, and Topher Grace as KKK grand wizard David Duke? Talk about fun casting. I find Spike Lee to be extremely hit or miss as a filmmaker, so here's hoping his collaboration with Jordan Peele will result in one of the best movies of his long career.

The movie just debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and some early reactions are already pouring in:

Here's the official synopsis:

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It's the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. Produced by the team behind the Academy-Award® winning Get Out.

BlacKkKlansman arrives in theaters on August 10, 2018.