Focus Features has released the first Kill the Messenger trailer.  Directed by Michael Cuesta (Homeland, Dexter), the film is based on the true story of news reporter Gary Webb, whose life was ruined when he linked the CIA to a scheme to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua and import cocaine into California.  His investigation not only threatened to ruin his career, but also his life and the life of his family.  This looks like it will be a good showcase for Renner, and while I like seeing him in blockbusters and high-profile awards contenders, I like that he's going to be in a nuts-and-bolts story centered around a worthwhile topic.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Ray Liotta, Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Platt, Andy Garcia, Tim Blake Nelson, Robert Patrick, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Paz Vega.  Kill the Messenger opens October 10th.

Click over to Apple to see the trailer in HD.

Here's the official synopsis for Kill the Messenger:

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner (“The Bourne Legacy”) leads an all-star cast in a dramatic thriller based on the remarkable true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb. Webb stumbles onto a story which leads to the shady origins of the men who started the crack epidemic on the nation’s streets…and further alleges  that the CIA was aware of major dealers who were smuggling cocaine into the U.S., and using the profits to arm rebels fighting in Nicaragua. Despite warnings from drug kingpins and CIA operatives to stop his investigation, Webb keeps digging to uncover a conspiracy with explosive implications. His journey takes him from the prisons of California to the villages of Nicaragua to the highest corridors of power in Washington, D.C. – and draws the kind of attention that threatens not just his career, but his family and his life.