Luc Besson is usually better known as the producer or writer/director of big-scale action adventure pics or thrillers such as Taken, Columbiana and The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (okay, that one’s more of a fantasy adventure). But with The Lady, he’s taken a really different track, focusing on the impressive true-life story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her family, who became a beacon for those fighting for Burmese democracy. The first trailer is now online and can be watched below.

Michelle Yeoh is Kyi, who in 1988 left Oxford to visit her sick mother in Burma and stayed there for years, becoming wrapped up in the country’s struggle against an oppressive military regime and championing the people as a politician. During those years, she faced huge challenges, including a long separation from her husband, Michael Aris (David Thewlis) when the government forced her into house arrest. While he died of cancer in 1999, she didn’t get to leave the house until last year, when she was finally released.

There’s not much footage on display in what is effectively a teaser trailer for the film, but it looks like Besson is aiming for an epic feel, especially given that last shot. It'll be interesting to see how a man not usually known for his subtlety tackles such a subject...

The Lady will get its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, but there’s no set release date yet.