Jon Bernthal steps into vigilante role in dark and brooding 'Sweet Virginia' trailer

There are no zombies in sight, but the danger feels omnipresent for Walking Dead alum Jon Bernthal in the dark and brooding trailer for the new thriller, Sweet Virginia (watch exclusively above).

Bernthal, known for antagonistic roles in the AMC hit series and films like Baby Driver as well as the antihero Punisher on Netflix’s Daredevil, plays Sam, a former rodeo star in small-town Alaska who unwittingly strikes up a relationship with Elwood (It Comes at Night’s Christopher Abbott), a stranger who is responsible for a triple murder that’s gripped the rural community.

(An earlier draft of the screenplay was set in Virginia, but while the setting moved, the film’s title remained intact.)

“This is only gonna go one direction,” Sam warns Elwood over the course of a tense diner sit-down. And he’s not talking about the British pop band.

Directed by Jamie M. Dagg (River) from a script by The China Brothers, the film also stars Imogen Poots, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Odessa Young.

Sweet Virginia opens Nov. 17.

Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:

• ‘The Punisher’ sneak peek: Watch Jon Bernthal go from family man to vigilante

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• ‘The Walking Dead’: 12 of the most polarizing characters