A24 Films has released the first trailer for their upcoming Western The Ballad of Lefty Brown, which hits theaters this December and could be a dark horse Oscar candidate. Since most of the Oscar candidates won't be released until either November of December, it's tough to tell which films could be contenders or not, but with a stellar cast and a classic revenge Western, it wouldn't be surprising if A24 goes for back-to-back Best Picture Oscars this year, after winning with Moonlight last year. Still, we have a long way to go before the awards season starts coming into focus, but this may very well be one film to keep your eye on.

When cowboy Lefty Brown (Bill Pullman) witnesses the murder of his longtime partner, the newly-elected Senator Edward Johnson (Peter Fonda), he strikes out to find the killers and avenge his friend's gruesome death. Tracking the outlaws across the vast and desolate Montana plains, Lefty recruits a young gunslinger, Jeremiah (Diego Josef), and an old friend, a hard-drinking U.S. Marshall (Tommy Flanagan), to help deliver the men to justice.

After a gunfight with the outlaws leaves Jeremiah wounded, Lefty returns home with the names of Johnson's killers only to find that he is being accused of his friend's murder. With the tables turned, and with his friend in the governor's mansion (Jim Caviezel) refusing to help, Lefty must evade the law and prove his innocence by exposing the powerful men ultimately responsible for Johnson's death. A thrilling and action-packed Western, The Ballad of Lefty Brown is a story about loyalty, friendship, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

The supporting cast also includes Joseph Lee Anderson, Michael Spears, Joe Anderson, Kathy Baker and Emily Jones. Jared Moshe directs from his own screenplay, following up his 2012 directorial debut entitled Dead Man's Burden, another Western movie set in New Mexico. He has also served as a producer on documentaries such as Kurt Cobain About a Son, Beautiful Losers, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, along with TV shows such as Storage Wars: New York and Cold Case Files.

A24 Films has set a December 15 release date for The Ballad of Lefty Brown, putting it up against what will likely be the biggest movie of the year, Disney's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, along with 20th Century Fox's animated comedy Ferdinand. For fans who have DirecTV, the Western will debut in an exclusive DirecTV window starting November 9, ahead of the December 15 release date. Take a look at this new trailer, courtesy of A24 Films YouTube, along with the poster for The Ballad of Lefty Brown below.

The Ballad of Lefty Brown Poster