Solomon Northup was a free black man living in the Norther United States in the first half of the 1800s. In 1841 in Washington DC he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south and spent 12 years working plantations until his eventual released in 1853.

This film by Steve McQueen is based on Northup’s autobiography, and there is finally a trailer.

This is only McQueen’s third feature however his previous two, 2008’s _Hunger_ and 2011’s _Shame_ are both incredibly powerful films, visceral and challenging and emotional and beautiful studies of their subjects. I can only hope that he brings the same to this story, and important one of America’s not so bright history. He certainly has managed to get quite the cast together to do it; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt are all proven talent as well as Michael Fassbender reuniting with McQueen for the third time. Fassbender has had two amazing performances under McQueen’s direction and as the brutal plantation owner in this looks like he’ll have a third.

12 Years A Slave comes out 18 October this year.