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As you’ve come to expect, our radar for films has a rather far and wide reach, so it’s hard to say that a film ever really comes out of nowhere. There are, however, times when a smaller project, often either very indie or foreign, slides along unnoticed. Suffice it to say that freshman writer/director Gerald McMorrow’s Franklyn is one of those films. But with the newly released trailer below, which comes courtesy of IGN, it certainly has our attention. The film has a wicked cast, including Ryan Phillipe, Casino Royale’s Eva Green (yum) and Sam Riley, whose performance in 2007′s Control was spellbinding. It also has a darkly romantic dystopian noir feel to it, an apparent lovechild of V for Vendetta and the Victorian age, with odd dashes of steampunk for good measure. To say the least, it is an ambitious looking project for a first time director.

Franklyn screened at the London Film Festival in October where it was received well by critics. Eye for Film’s Darren Amner said that it “spans many genres, coupling inventive storytelling with a strong visual aesthetic.” Scheduled for a release in the UK on January 20, Franklyn is currently not slated to make a run in the U.S., though I’m sure if it gets enough attention it will make it to this side of the pond. See the first trailer for yourself below.

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