Watch the politically provocative first trailer for Oliver Stone's Edward Snowden movie

Snowden on the silver screen.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube)

Summer blockbuster season hasn't even begun — but if you're ready to take a very early look at one of next fall's Oscar hopefuls, check out the first trailer for Oliver Stone's Snowden, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the NSA employee who leaked classified documents revealing the U.S. government's mass surveillance of citizens:

Edward Snowden remains a polarizing cultural figure, with legions of admirers and detractors — but this trailer makes it clear that Oliver Stone will depict Snowden as a patriot and a hero, leaking top-secret intel out of a sense of moral duty. "There's something going on inside the government that's really wrong, and I can't ignore it," he tells his girlfriend (Shailene Woodley) — a decision that will come at a great cost to both of them.

Snowden hits theaters on September 16, 2016.

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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.