'The Hummingbird Project' Trailer: Jesse Eisenberg And Alexander Skarsgard Want To Make Millions In Milliseconds

Jesse Eisenberg and a very bald Alexander Skarsgård star in The Hummingbird Project, a thriller about...fiber-optic cable? That may not sound particularly thrilling, but it's all in the name of making cold, hard cash. The duo want to run the fiber-optic cable to get a jump on the stock market before everyone else – but their task won't be easy. They're going to have to go up against a powerful trader, played by Salma Hayek. Watch The Hummingbird Project trailer below.

The Hummingbird Project Trailer

Who knew fiber-optic cable could be so exciting? Not me, but the trailer for The Hummingbird Project sure makes it look that way. Based on the footage here, this film is giving off serious There Will Be Blood meets The Social Network vibes, complete with Eisenberg in fast-talking Zuckerberg mode (side-note: has Eisenberg ever played a character who doesn't talk a mile-a-minute?). You also know things are serious because the usually handsome Alexander Skarsgård is seen here sporting a truly awful balding pattern, and anytime good looking actors mess with their attractiveness, they mean business. And if all that isn't enough for you, Salma Hayek is also here, looking and acting like a villain from a Pixar movie.

Written and directed by Kim Nguyen, and also starring Better Call Saul's Michael MandoThe Hummingbird Project is headed to theaters in March.

Here's the synopsis:

In this modern epic, Kim Nguyen exposes the ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world. Cousins from New York, Vincent (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton (Alexander Skarsgård) are players in the high-stakes game of High-Frequency Trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream? To build a straight fiber-optic cable line between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions. But nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to the breaking point with their quixotic adventure. Constantly breathing down their necks is their old boss Eva Torres (Salma Hayek), a powerful, intoxicating and manipulative trader who will stop at nothing to come between them and beat them at their own game.

Marshall Shaffer reviewed The Hummingbird Project for /Film at TIFF, calling the film "engaging" but adding that it "stops just short of greatness", writing:

"Nguyen's tightly directed adult drama always captivates, but his undercooked script cannot help but beg the question "so what?" when the credits roll."

The Hummingbird Project opens in select theaters March 15, 2019.