Josh Hartnett has a fascinating career so far. An A-list heartthrob of the late nineties and early aughts, Hartnett skyrocketed to fame with a steady mix of hit teen films and high-profile dramas before stepping away from the spotlight towards indie fare. And he's been keeping up the interesting work. 2017's Oh Lucy! was a particularly underseen gem, and now he has Inherit the Viper, a new crime drama about a family trapped in the opioid crisis and we've got an exclusive new sneak peek at the film

Inherit the Viper stars Hartnett Kip, one of three siblings who find the dangerous family business is their only means of survival, but when Kip realizes that trying to survive might costs their lives, he wants out for good. The film comes from a screenplay by Andrew Crabtree, directed by Anthony Jerjen in his feature film debut.

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Image via Lionsgate

In his director's statement, Jerjen said.

"When I started researching the subject, I thought the problem would be somewhat isolated and secondary to the more divisive issues this country has been facing lately. What I realized is that this Opioid Crisis had become the new reality of those communities. The background of everyday life, very much like the destroyed buildings of a country at war. Your neighbor bringing your kids to school is now also a drug dealer and perhaps paradoxically, he has probably lost someone to the drugs. There is no gang-related gunfights in the street, no loud DEA raid in the middle of the night. This is a slowly progressing plague, like cancer dissolving the social foundations of those communities...

 

Inherit the Viper is not intended as a cautionary tale, it’s a reflection of the current situation through the lens of an average family. In the end, it’s just one of many symptoms caused by large social mutations happening in America today and it begs the question: Is that the type of social legacy we want to pass on to future generations?"

Inherit the Viper also stars Margarita Levieva, Owen Teague, Valorie Curry, Chandler Riggs, Brad William Henke, Tara Buck, Dash Mihok,and Bruce Dern. Lionsgate will release the film in select theaters, On Demand, and on Digital on January 10. Watch our exclusive clip below.

Here's the official synopsis for Inherit the Viper:

"For siblings Kip (Josh Hartnett) and Josie (Margarita Levieva), dealing opioids isn’t just their family business—it’s their only means of survival. When a deal goes fatally wrong, Kip decides he wants out. But Kip’s attempt to escape his family’s legacy ignites a powder keg of violence and betrayal, imperiling Kip, Josie, and their younger brother, Boots (Owen Teague), in this searing crime-thriller that builds to a shattering conclusion."