Steve Carell is not typically a name that comes up when awards season discussion begins to build, but in 2014 he is an early frontrunner for Oscar glory with his dark turn in the upcoming film Foxcatcher. Starring opposite Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, Carell depicts millionaire John du Pont, an eccentric man whose desire to coach the next Olympic gold medalist eventually leads to tragedy. As you can already tell, it’s a role unlike anything Carrell has delivered in recent memory.

“Once I was in full makeup and trying to sort of emulate du Pont’s vocal patterns, people were more reserved around me, on and off the set. I don’t want to sound precious or pretentious about being in character all the time. But I hadn’t anticipated how much it would draw me away physically and emotionally from everyone else,” he told Vulture. “Frankly, I’m glad we filmed out of town. The transition from that to being with my family would be … well, I don’t like to bring stuff like that home.”

A new Foxcatcher teaser arrived online today through our friends at IMDB, and you can view the footage at the end of this below:

The official synopsis reads:

Based on true events, “Foxcatcher” tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multi-millionaire and two champion wrestlers.

When Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to the du Pont estate and help form a team to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics at his new state-of-the-art training facility, Schultz jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his revered brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Driven by hidden needs, du Pont sees backing Schultz’s bid for Gold and the chance to “coach” a world-class wrestling team as an opportunity to gain the elusive respect of his peers and, more importantly, his disapproving mother (Vanessa Redgrave).

Flattered by the attention and entranced by du Pont’s majestic world, Mark comes to see his benefactor as a father figure and grows increasingly dependent on him for approval. Though initially supportive, du Pont’s mercurial personality turns and he begins to lure Mark into an unhealthy lifestyle that threatens to undermine his training. Soon du Pont’s erratic behavior and cruel psychological game-play begin to erode the athlete’s already shaky self-esteem. Meanwhile du Pont becomes fixated on Dave, who exudes the confidence both he and Mark lack, knowing that these are things even his money cannot buy. Fueled by du Pont’s increasing paranoia and alienation from the brothers, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen.

Foxcatcher was praised on the festival circuit (Bennett Miller won ‘Best Director’ at Cannes) and will no doubt draw ever more attention when it opens nationwide November 14. Comment below and let us know your thoughts on the footage.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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