First Look: Allied

People has unveiled an exclusive first look at the upcoming WWII romantic drama, Allied, starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.

With powerhouse players in front of and behind the camera, Allied may shape up to be a contender in this year's Oscar race. Written by Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises) and directed by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Cast Away), the tale centers around the relationship between intelligence officer Max Vatan (Pitt) and French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard) who first encounter one another in Casablanca during a mission to assassinate a German official.

"Brad and Marion immediately had the utmost respect for each other, so once they delved into their characters, their chemistry was electric," Graham King, the film's producer told People.

With its period setting and glamorous central couple, Allied is already worth a watch but more interesting will be to see how Zemeckis handles this particular genre. The Oscar winner's last effort, The Walk, received generally positive reviews but had a disastrous showing at the box office. Zemeckis has proven himself capable of channeling his technical expertise to create compelling, often transcendent drama so one can only hope this will be the case with Allied.

Allied co-stars Lizzy Caplan (Now You See Me 2), Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey), and Jared Harris (Mad Men).

Pitt will next be seen in the political satire War Machine co-starring Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley. Cotillard reunites with her Macbeth co-star Michael Fassbender in Assassin's Creed, which is scheduled for release this December.

Allied will be released in the U.S. on November 23rd.