Following a year that gave us The Jungle Book, 2017 looks to be trying to outdo 2016 with The Lost City of Z, based on an actual jungle book. Okay, so The Jungle Book was also based on a book by Rudyard Kipling, but The Lost City of Z is based on a (somewhat) true story that recounts the intense journey of an explorer and his son, who got lost during an expedition in the Amazon. Now that story has come to life in a new film that places Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim) in the lead role.

Following a lengthy development process, the film is finally set for an April, 2017, release. Some were able to see leaked footage of the film a while back, but Amazon Studios has finally cut together a teaser trailer that provides a sense of the film's atmosphere. In it you can take in the jungle explorer look of Hunnam, along with Tom Holland, who plays his son. Watch the trailer above and find a detailed description below:

Based on author David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller, THE LOST CITY OF Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as “savages,” the determined Fawcett – supported by his devoted wife (Sienna Miller), son (Tom Holland) and aide de camp (Robert Pattinson) – returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925. An epically-scaled tale of courage and obsession, told in Gray’s classic filmmaking style, THE LOST CITY OF Z is a stirring tribute to the exploratory spirit and those individuals driven to achieve greatness at any cost.

The Lost City of Z - Charlie Hunnam
Robert Pattinson and Charlie Hunnam in The Lost City of Z

As mentioned, the film took some time to get going into production. While the 2009 novel's rights were picked up pretty quickly by Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, the film remained in the development stage for about six years. While Pitt was originally going to star in the film, one thing that didn't change was the presence of writer/director James Grey (We Own the Night, The Immigrant). Grey may have made some films during the time in which he had been hired on for The Lost City of Z, but he apparently wanted to do this sort of film right, rather than rush into production. So now, after going through other possible leads including Benedict Cumberbatch, the film has been completed with Hunnam in the lead and a release date in sight.

It helps that the film looks good. This may just be a teaser, but there is enough here to show a visually rich film. The Lost City of Z was screened at the New York Film Festival this past October, where it received some good reviews, which is also inspiring. Most interesting though, will be to see Grey's touch on a movie such as this. It is easily his largest-scale project yet - and while his films usually have an intense character focus, the added "adventuring into the heart of darkness" element means seeing a whole new cinematic side of the director here. Hopefully it pays off big, as The Lost City of Z has been anticipated by many for quite some time.

The Lost City of Z opens in limited release on April 14th, 2017.

Source: Amazon Studios