Trailer for WWE Studios' Dead Man Down Released

Hot on the heels of The Marine 3: Homefront trailer hitting the web, the teaser for WWE Studios' upcoming crime thriller Dead Man Down has emerged.

As you can probably tell from watching watching the clip, Dead Man Down, which is due out on March 8, looks to be drastically different from the movie division's usual output.

A moody, dark neo-noir, the film focuses on a henchman targeted for blackmail by the vengeful daughter of one of his crime boss' victims.

Not a butt-kicking soldier or gratuitous explosion in sight.

It's a high profile project too: As one person who wrote in to F4Wonline last week noted, this trailer is currently showing at theaters prior to Quentin Tarantino's heavily hyped Django Unchained.

This attention is all very unusual for the WWE's struggling movie division, which has seen many of its films either go straight-to-DVD or sink without a trace at the theaters.

Of course, the main difference is that WWE had little to do with the early stages of Dead Man Down. As movie site Deadline reported back in April, WWE came on board with the project as co-financiers just prior to filming (they are partnering with film company IM Global for the $30 million flick).

The cast, crew and script all look to have been in place, with WWE playing a limited creative role.

WWE's involvement with upcoming movie The Hive, featuring Halle Berry, appears to be a similar situation (via Deadline).

It will be interesting to see if the new approach works.

Certainly the company's film division has had decidedly mixed results when it starts from scratch. And investing in existing movies which feature big-name actors and have the potential to be big hits, could be an astute business move.

Dead Man Down stars A-list actor Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace, last seen in sci-fi blockbuster Prometheus. As WWE.com has noted, current Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett has a supporting role in the film, with the star filming his role over the summer. The film marks his first ever acting role.