The first trailer for John Henry has arrived. Terry Crews stars in the upcoming movie, along with Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. Saban Films bought the rights for the movie back in August, which is when we received the most information about the project. The new movie starring Crews is just one of two projects based on African American folklore hero John Henry coming up in the near future. The second of which is a Netflix project starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. With that being said, Crews will be the character before Johnson and we now have our first look at his version of the legendary hero.

John Henry focuses on ex-gang member, John Henry (Terry Crews), who traded violence for a quieter life taking care of his aging father (Ken Foree) in South Los Angeles. Henry meets two immigrant children running from his former gang leader (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) and has to decide whether to revisit his troubled past to help give the two children a better future. Ludacris is shown in the trailer with what looks like an oversized golden Bluetooth headset on the side of his face, which gives him a distinctive look.

When looking at the John Henry folklore story, the hero was able to wield a sledgehammer as he raced against a steam-powered rock-drilling machine. Using only his hammer, Henry proves to be victorious as he smashes his way through the mountainside, pounding much faster than the machine. While he won the contest, the ending is bittersweet as his heart gives out after he wins. The historical accuracy of many of the aspects of the John Henry legend are still subject to debate to this very day. Several locations have claimed to be the tunnel in which Henry died.

As for taking down Ludacris in John Henry, Terry Crews' main character should have no problem. Crews is seen with a sledgehammer more than once in the trailer and he looks menacing, to say the least. With that being said, the story won't be that cut and dry. Henry is going to have to take down a gang before he can get his hands on his former leader and we all know how this is going to go. It's possible that John Henry will take a different approach to the storyline, but the ending is already out there.

John Henry hits select theaters and video on demand starting January 24th, 2020. There is currently no release date set for John Henry and the Statesmen, which is the separate Netflix project starring Dwayne Johnson. Regardless, there is plenty of room for two different movies, which will tackle the legendary story from different angles. It's going to be interesting to see how they're both accepted upon their respective release dates. You can check out the John Henry trailer starring Terry Crews above, thanks to the Saban Films YouTube channel.