‘The Shallows’ Trailer: Blake Lively Makes for Lively Shark Bait

Surprise! Jaume Collet-Serra has a new movie that doesn’t star Liam Neeson! Unless maybe he plays the shark? The first trailer for The Shallows teases a much smaller thriller from the director of Neeson flicks Non-Stop and Run All Night, and although this is a much more simple film, Collet-Serra’s latest already looks more thrilling and intense than his recent efforts.

I’m not saying Liam Neeson is the shark in The Shallows, but until IMDb proves me wrong, this is the story I’m sticking with. In any case, Blake Lively stars in the upcoming film as a surfer who gets attacked by a great white shark and is left stranded on a small rock with a painfully clear view of the nearby shore. The only thing standing (or swimming) between Lively and the safety of land is that pesky shark:

In the taut thriller The Shallows, Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills. It’s Jaws for a new generation.

Maybe describing The Shallows as “Jaws for a new generation” is a bit presumptuous and overly-ambitious, but Collet-Serra’s new film looks pretty intense, following in the footsteps of similar thrillers like Buried (starring Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds) and 127 Hours. Lively gave a great performance in The Age of Adaline, and it’ll be interesting to watch her anchor an entire film on her own — with a little help from that hungry shark, obviously.

The Shallows hits theaters on June 24.