'Antebellum' Trailer: Janelle Monáe Saves Us From Our Past

Janelle Monáe stars as successful contemporary author Veronica Henley, who one day gets kidnapped and finds herself working as a slave in the Antebellum South. Or is it the other way around, and she is a slave gifted with premonitions of the future in which black people live freely? Everything is uncertain in the Antebellum trailer, which teases that Monáe's Veronica is fated to save us from our past. It's a very cryptic trailer full of eye-catching imagery that doesn't reveal much more about this mysterious film, but I'll assume that this is some kind of alternate history-style film, in which we'll see the past massively altered by Monáe's character.

I wouldn't expect anything less from a film that proudly touts its Get Out and Us connections (through Get Out and BlacKkKlansman producer QC Entertainment's Ray Mansfield and Sean McKittrick). Jordan Peele's socially conscious horror films also tackled uniquely black concepts with a fresh and edgy approach, and Antebellum's high-concept premise looks to do something similar.

In addition to Monáe, Antebellum stars Marque Richardson II, Eric Lange, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, Gabourey Sidibe, Rob Aramayo, Lily Cowles, and Jena Malone. Antebellum is also produced by Zev Foreman and Lezlie Wills.

Here is the synopsis for Antebellum:

Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christoper Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.

Antebellum opens in theaters April 24, 2020.