Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart were first paired together back in 2009 for the coming of age comedy, Adventureland. Since then, Stewart has continued to have a varied career, including of course, the Twilight Saga as well as Snow White and the Huntsman and Still Alice. Meanwhile, Eisenberg went on to star in The Social Network and is about to unleash his Lex Luthor when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is released in spring 2016.

Now the pair have reteamed for American Ultra, an action comedy which has the question “What if James Bourne had been a stoner?” at its heart. A somewhat bizarre question, granted, but one which certainly seems worthy of an exploration if this new trailer is anything to go by.

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Eisenberg stars as Mike Howell, a convenience store clerk and massive stoner. As it turns out, he is also a highly trained CIA agent; it’s just that he doesn’t remember it. He unwittingly finds himself the target of a CIA operation intended to get rid of these sleeper agents. Stewart plays the part of Phoebe, Mike’s girlfriend, who finds herself caught in the middle of the op, prompting Mike to try to save the day.

Screen Rant paid a visit to the American Ultra set last year, where we interviewed Eisenberg and Stewart about their characters, as well as watching a busy action sequence being filmed.

Stewart describes her character as “a very sort of straightforward and sweet, fairly unassuming girl,” and someone who is not that much different to herself, but is exiting in a hyper real world. Meanwhile, Eisenberg says Mike “somebody who has kind of just immersed himself in nothing, in his own laziness, and enjoying his own laziness.”

American Ultra is directed by Nima Nourizadeh (Project X), from a script by Max Lander (Chronicle). Connie Britton (Nashville), Topher Grace (Predators), John Leguizamo (Chef), Walton Goggins (Justified), and Bill Pullman (Independence Day) are also among the cast.

While it seems unlikely to be a mainstream smash, American Ultra actually looks like it will be a refreshingly different film. The action sequences look strong, and the stunts are solid. It’s also good to see Stewart in yet another different role for her; she is certainly an actress who refuses to be pigeonholed after her Twilight experience. Eisenberg is also an actor of many talents, and both definitely have the art of acting comedic scenes in a completely straight manner, which should make for some great moments in this dark and quirky movie.

See also  10 Movies To Watch If You Liked World War Z

American Ultra opens in U.S theaters on August 21st, 2015.

Source: Lionsgate

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Becky Fuller
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Becky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2014. She has a degree in musical theater and performance and thinks that musical soundtracks should form a fundamental part of everyone’s daily existence.
She spends her time at Screen Rant writing about all of the things she loves, mainly Disney, Harry Potter, family movies and of course, anything that might have a little bit of singing in it. She also has a deep affection for Netflix Marvel shows, movies and TV shows that focus on character, and pretty much anything that represents quality British movies or TV programs. Becky thinks that Paddington 2 might well be the best movie ever made.
Becky also works as a theater critic, and divides her time between watching theater, movies, and TV. Sometimes she does other things, like working as a fitness instructor or taking pictures of her cats, and she attempts to raise three children.

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