The Weinstein Company released their first trailer for the upcoming movie The Giver. The film is a screen adaptation of the beloved children’s book of the same name. The Giver follows Jonas (played by Brenton Thwaites in the film) as he discovers that this utopian society is more dystopian than he once believed: it tries to deprive people of emotions and create Sameness. Jonas inherits the position of ‘Receiver of Memory.’ He will be the person who stores all the memories of the time before this society existed. Jonas begins to question things when he meets “The Giver (Jeff Bridges),” who shows him the beauty and pain that exists beyond this world.

The Giver was published in 1993, and received a Newbery Medal the following year. The novel begins a loosely formed series of four books: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son (the only direct sequel to The Giver). The other three books in the series were created seven years after the original book.

One noticeable difference from the book and the movie is Jonas’ age; he’s only 12 in the book, but looks around 16 in the movie (in real life Thwaites is 24). Another really big difference from the book version of The Giver and the movie is the film’s usage of color. In the book most of the characters are colorblind. Jonas, however, sees in color. Doing the entire film in color really makes fans of the book wonder if the film’s creators can be true to the essence of the book if they fail to keep one important element of it.

The movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s beloved book also stars Alexander Skarsgard, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift. The Giver’s trailer will appear in theaters on March 20, and opens in theaters on August 15.

Everyone loves The Giver, but will anyone love this movie?

Image via The Giver, Facebook