Mark Wahlberg stars as a tactical team leader in the first trailer for Mile 22. One of the most recurring director-actor combos to emerge in the last few years has been Wahlberg teaming up with director Peter Berg. They first came together in 2013's Lone Survivor, but doubled-down on their partnership with both Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day hitting theaters in 2016. Their biggest hit came with their first, but the duo has earned north of $300 million at the box office. Now, they're moving closer to that with Mile 22.

The movie is described as a "visceral modern thriller" by STX Entertainment, and they've assembled a cast to elevate those goals. Even though Wahlberg is the star as James Silva, Mile 22 features The Walking Dead's Lauren Cohan, The Raid's Iko Uwais, and Ronda Rousey as part of Silva's covert team, Overwatch.

STX Entertainment debuted the first red band trailer for Mile 22 today. Focusing primarily on the action, Mile 22 promises plenty of it and that it'll hit when it's on screen. The standout moments come from the film earning its R-rating and letting Uwais deliver fight scenes in the vein of what he's done before. He's also at the center of Mile 22's story, as Silva's team is tasked with getting him to safety while rogue agents attempt to take him out.

Mark Wahlberg with a gun in Mile 22.

All of Berg and Wahlberg's collaborations have had some thrill to them, but this could top them all. Berg's also managed to get the better version of Wahlberg is their previous efforts together, so hopefully Mile 22 is a similar case as he leads this squad. The real standout though is Uwais, which won't come as a surprise to anyone who's familiar with his work. It is, however, light on Cohan and Rousey, and only barely gives John Malkovich some screen time. Hopefully this is just due to the trailer itself and isn't an indication to how big their roles are.

This should be a good start to Mile 22's marketing campaign and it will need plenty of it to help generate some attention at the box office. Mile 22's August release date seems friendly at first glance, but it'll go up against Christopher RobinThe Spy Who Dumped MeThe Darkest Minds, and Searching. The only benefit to that competition is that Mile 22 is counter-programing to it all. Unfortunately, it won't even be the biggest action-thriller in theaters as Mission: Impossible - Fallout will just be in its second weekend. There's certainly more work to be done for Mile 22, but if it can deliver visceral action with an R-rating its corner will be carved out and hopefully push it towards success. And it will need to be just that if the hopeful franchise is going to happen.

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Mile 22 is scheduled to hit theaters August 3, 2018.

Source: STX Entertainment