Will Smith is battling a version of himself in the first trailer for “Gemini Man,” which was released Tuesday morning.

Directed by Ang Lee, the anticipated action movie stars Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious operative who seemingly can predict his every move.

Turns out the skilled killer was cloned 25 years ago, and the younger version has been instructed to get rid of the original.

“You have all of his gifts without his pain,” Clive Owen’s character Clay Verris explains to the younger Henry. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong are also part of the cast.


How is it possible for Smith to share the screen with his younger self? Paramount chairman Jim Gianopulos explained at CinemaCon earlier this month that the 50-year-old actor was digitally de-aged to play the second, 23-year-old character.

“Every once in a while a story comes along that is so special ... that filmmakers need to wait for the technology to catch up with the vision of the world they want to create,” said Gianopulos, who added that Lee, who made “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Life of Pi,” “knows how to use technology in service of the story.”

“Gemini Man” hits theaters on Oct. 11.


ashley.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @cashleelee