The first image from Capote and Moneyball director Bennett Miller’s upcoming real-life drama Foxcatcher has been released online.  The film, which chronicles the complicated (and eventually murderous) relationship between eccentric millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) and Olympic Wrestling Champion brothers Mark and Dave Schultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo), just recently secured a December 20th release date, ensuring that Foxcatcher will be a serious contender in the upcoming awards season.  I’m a massive fan of Miller’s, so this one has been on my “must-see” list for a while; I’m really eager to see Carell’s take on what’s sure to be a meaty and difficult role.  He sure looks different, as Carell has clearly undergone a complete physical transformation (including a prosthetic nose) to portray du Pont.

Hit the jump to get a look at the first image and to see what Miller had to say about Carell's casting.  A debut trailer should be landing in the coming weeks.  Foxcatcher also stars Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, and Anthony Michael Hall and will open in theaters on December 20th.

On the unlikely casting of Carell as the film’s lead, Miller told EW that he was looking for a very specific take on the character:

“We just had our first test [screening], and not everybody recognized Steve. He is aged [for the film], and his face is changed, and his physicality changed,” says Miller, who explains that the unlikely casting of Carell as a killer is an important part of making the character feel authentic. “If I say I’m going to make a movie about a guy who’s a schizophrenic murderer, there are probably a dozen actors who would immediately appear on anybody’s casting list. And Steve would not be on any of those lists. And that’s a good thing. Because it’s unexpected… John DuPont was a character who nobody thought was capable of doing something as horrible as he did. And I did not want to cast somebody who would feel dangerous in that way.”

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