Will Smith Takes on the NFL in First 'Concussion' Trailer

Will Smith is getting back in the game.

After the box-office misfire of 2013′s After Earth, and modest returns for February’s crime caper Focus, the 46-year-old actor is hoping to score big with the football drama Concussion, the first trailer for which is embedded above.

Based on a widely read 2009 GQ article, Concussion tells the real-life story of Dr. Bennet Omalu (played by Smith), a forensic neuropathologist from Nigeria, and the man who first discovered the troubling link between football injuries and early-onset dementia that, in some cases, led to death.

In 2002, Omalu found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a disease caused by repeated blows to the head — in the late NFL legend Mike Webster, which launched the sort of scandal that makes Tom Brady’s DeflateGate look like a schoolyard spat. Omalu’s findings led to years of denials and attacks by the NFL, along with lawsuits, public outcry, and even player departures that threatened to undermine the most popular sport in America.

Concussion is the sort of meaty role that Smith hasn’t had in a good decade. He was nominated for an Oscar for his part in 2006′s dramedy The Pursuit of Happyness, but it’s mostly been blockbusters and sequels since for the actor. In Concussion, Smith looks to make his biggest departure since 2001′s Ali, which earned him his first Oscar nomination.

At the very least, the film will earn plenty of buzz from all corners of the internet. The trailer for Concussion first premiered on Sports Illustrated’s website, hinting at a wide net being cast by distributor Sony Pictures.

Concussion, which co-stars Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, and Belle’s breakout star Gugu Mbatha-Raw, hits theaters on Christmas Day.