'The Pirates Of Somalia' Trailer: Evan Peters Gets In Over His Head

Evan Peters and his fake beard might be in trouble in The Pirates of Somalia trailer. In the drama inspired by a true story, Peters plays a journalist who hopes to investigate Somali pirates, only to get more than he bargained for. The new film from The Bronze director Bryan Buckley also stars a very sleepy looking Al Pacino and Captain Phillips break-out Barkhad Abdi.

Al Pacino hasn't been in many movies lately, but the acclaimed actor makes a sleepy appearance in The Pirates of Somalia trailer. Pacino plays idol to a rookie journalist played by Evan Peters. After Peters meets his hero, he's inspired to go in pursuit of a big story. That story involves tracking Somali pirates, which quickly results in Peters' character getting in over his head. Here's the trailer:

In addition to Peters and Pacino (who apparently only appears briefly), The Pirates of Somalia also stars Melanie Griffith and Barkhad Abdi, who was fantastic in Captain Phillips and was recently seen in Blade Runner 2049. This trailer is a bit uneven, giving one the sense that it wants to be both comedic and serious, but never quite finding the correct balance. Here's the official synopsis:

When rookie journalist Jay Bahadur (Evan Peters) has an inspiring chance encounter with his idol (Al Pacino), he uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer (Barkhad Abdi), he attempts to embed himself with the local Somali pirates, only to find himself quickly in over his head. The Pirates of Somalia tells the incredible true story of one reporter's risk-taking adventure that ultimately brought the world an unprecedented first-person account of Somali Pirates the first close-up look into Somalia's rich culture.

The Pirates of Somalia is based on a true story, as chronicled in the book The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur. Bahadur was one of the first journalists to actually spend time with Somali pirates, spending weeks in their company. Through a series of connections, Bahadur received unprecedented access to the pirates. "In some places, like the coastal area, the pirates were more jittery and nervous," the author told The Christian Science Monitor. "A leader of one of the gangs there told people that I was CIA and that they shouldn't talk to me."

Whether or not The Pirates of Somalia is an accurate representation of Bahadur's reporting is unclear. Director Bryan Buckley shot the film in South Africa, and told Deadline he strived for accuracy, casting a range of Somali non-actors in parts for authenticity.

The Pirates of Somalia opens December 8, 2017.