Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig Saddle Up for ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

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Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig Universal Pictures
Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig Universal Pictures

The makers of next summer's action epic "Cowboys & Aliens" can be assured of one thing: no one could possibly accuse them of false advertising. It's got cowboys. They fight aliens.

Based on a graphic novel from Platinum Studios -- the publisher of the original "Men in Black" comic -- the title is so straightforward one might assume that it's a joke. But as the just-released trailer shows, this movie isn't playing the concept for laughs. It has some seriously big names behind the camera, including director Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, and executive producer Steven Spielberg. And it has two of the toughest leading men of their generations -- Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig -- in the starring roles.

Here's the exclusive first look at the trailer for "Cowboys & Aliens." (Viewer discretion advised: Contains violent content.)

Watch the trailer in HD >>

In "Cowboys & Aliens," Daniel Craig wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no hat, no boots, and no memory of who he is or how he got there. He also discovers a metallic band on his wrist that he can't remove. He winds up in the frontier town of Absolution, where the citizens live in fear of the powerful Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).

Harrison Ford contests 'Star Wars' ending >>

It turns out Craig is a wanted criminal, but before he can get carted off to jail, alien vessels swoop in from the sky, incinerating the town and abducting the locals. And the only weapon that has any effect on their ships is the device on Craig's wrist. So Ford and Craig have to team up to find out what these technologically advanced attackers are and if there is any way to stop them.

What's surprising about the trailer is how much it looks like a straight-forward Western. Except for Craig's device, there's nothing in the first half of the trailer to suggest there are any science-fiction elements to it. It comes across in the performances as well; there is no winking to the camera here. Craig has an icy intensity that recalls Steve McQueen in "The Magnificent Seven." And Ford looks to be as energized on screen as he ever has been.

Photos: Daniel Craig's beach vacation >>

In a way, this pairing makes for an interesting symmetry for Harrison Ford. 21 years ago, he shared the screen with the original James Bond, Sean Connery, in Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." And now in this movie, Ford is the elder figure who gets paired up with the 007 for a new generation.

"Cowboys & Aliens" also stars Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano and Keith Carradine. It opens on July 29, 2011.

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