'They Shall Not Grow Old' Trailer: Peter Jackson's World War I Documentary Brings 100-Year-Old Footage To Stunning Life

Peter Jackson has put his cutting-edge visual technology to good use with They Shall Not Grow Old, a World War I documentary unlike any other. The documentary takes BBC archival footage shot during the war 100 years ago, and brings it to life via a state-of-the-art restoration and colorization process — and in 3D for good measure. The documentary has already aired in the U.K. on BBC Two, but now the stunning film comes to U.S. theaters for a limited time next month. Watch the They Shall Not Grow Old trailer below.

When you see archival footage from World War I, the grainy black-and-white soldiers and the devastated land that they walk seem so far away. But in They Shall Not Grow Old, they never felt more real. The documentary uses film footage captured at the time as well as 600 hours of BBC archival interviews to produce a gripping, immersive, and achingly human experience of the first Great War.

Jackson directed They Shall Not Grow Old in collaboration with UK's 14-18 NOW Arts Program, Imperial War Museums and BBC. Warner Bros. takes over U.S. distribution in partnership with Fathom Events for a one-day screening on December 17, 2018 with an encore presentation on December 27, 2018. Ahead of the U.S. release, Jackson recorded a special introduction for the film, which he has called his "most personal" yet. "Restoration is a humanizing process," Jackson said of the process of restoring the 100-year-old black-and-white footage to a film in living color.

They Shall Not Grow Old will be presented in 2D and RealD 3D, followed by special content "offering firsthand insights into what went into this groundbreaking feat of research, filmmaking and storytelling." Tickets for the screenings are on sale now at Fathom Events and participating theater box offices.

Here is the synopsis for They Shall Not Grow Old:

The acclaimed documentary is an extraordinary look at the soldiers and events of the Great War, using film footage captured at the time, now presented as the world has never seen. By utilizing state-of-the-art restoration, colorization and 3D technologies, and pulling from 600 hours of BBC archival interviews, Jackson puts forth an intensely gripping, immersive and authentic experience through the eyes and voices of the British soldiers who lived it.

The Shall Not Grow Old opens in select theaters on December 17, 2018.