Fans can finally get their first look at Will Smith in the new trailer to Antoine Fuqua‘s fugitive slave drama, Emancipation.

The film had its debut on Saturday, with a special Washington, D.C., screening during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Legislative Conference, but it will hit theaters nationwide on December 2 and Apple TV+ on December 9.

The streaming site teases the film is, “Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family — and for freedom.”

Smith plays Peter, an enslaved man who “risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.”

That journey, a three-day trek through the unforgiving swamps of the Civil War South with captors in pursuit, will lead Peter to the Union Army’s lines and his freedom.

Shot in stark black-and-white tones, the trailer showcases Fuqua’s cinematic gifts.

The film would have been a surefire Oscar contender for Smith, but for his outburst at the Academy Awards that led to a 10-year ban from the event. In a new chat with Deadline, Fuqua insisted Apple never gave up on the movie.

“They never stopped talking about releasing the film, and when would be best strategically,” he commented. “Apple would call me often, with Will, and I have to say Apple has been amazing through this whole film.”

The Apple Originals film also stars Ben Foster, Steven Ogg, Charmaine Bingwa and Mustafa Shakir.