FIRST LOOK: Channing Tatum in ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’

Channing Tatum is days away from wrapping on his Roman epic 'The Eagle of the Ninth' in Scotland (the crew was recently spotted near Windyhill Cottage in the village of Altandhu). Thanks to the movie news site Collider.com we have a first look at Chan in what's going to be one of the biggest films in 2010.

Collider.com got a sneak peek at next year's big films at the American Film Market recently, which is where film distributors are given an opportunity to buy the rights for new projects and where currently-in-production films go to find more financing.

Festivals like this have gone very well for the film thus far. 'The Eagle of the Ninth' became a 2009 Cannes Film Festival hit because of its strong script, cast and director and the success of similar productions such as ‘Gladiator’ and the American HBO series “Rome”, starring Scot Kevin McKidd. The $23 million epic that is helmed by 'State of Play' director Kevin Macdonald and stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, and Donald Sutherland has already lined up distributors all over the world.

Below you'll find the official plot breakdown for 'The Eagle of the Ninth'. This is the most detailed summary we've gotten for the movie thus far, so I would like to warn that there may be a few spoilers in the synopsis...

"Newly arrived in Britannia on his first command, young Centurion Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) heroically defends his ford against a massive Celtic attack but is so badly wounded that he is discharged from the army. Angry and bitter that his army career is over, Marcus chooses to risk his life on a seemingly impossible journey into the unconquered north to find the Eagle of the Ninth, the legendary golden standard lost fifteen years earlier when his father marched the Ninth Legion into the wilds of Scotland and never came back. As a companion, he takes his slave Esca (Jamie Bell), a Celt whose life he saved in a gladiatorial contest but who hates all things Roman. Their journey together into the wild north forgers the beginnings of a precarious relationship between them. But when they are captured by the Seal People, the most feared of all the Celtic tribes and the guardians of the lost Eagle, Esca claims that he is the master and Marcus his Roman slave - and Marcus has no choice but to entrust himself into the Celt’s hands. Just as Marcus fears Esca’s loyalty is lost and he is to remain a slave for life, the Celt proves true to his friend. Together they manage to retrieve the Eagle from an island temple and, keeping one step ahead of their pursuers in a thrilling chase to the safety of the border, they take a stand in a final, unexpected battle that reveals the secret of the Ninth."

'The Eagle of the Ninth' is scheduled to hit theaters some time in the third quarter of 2010.

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