Cowboys & Aliens Official Plot Revealed

With Iron Man 2 out and kicking ass at the box office, attention can now be officially turned towards Jon Favreau's next comic-book adaptation: Cowboys &Aliens. We know all the main players - Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde - and that the story is based on the graphic novel series by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, but those unfamiliar with the source material and unwilling to do even the slightest bit of research are still in the dark about what the film will be about (other than cowboys and aliens, of course). Time to let the light in.

JoBlo has gotten its hands on an official plot synopsis and are freely sharing it with the world. The only way I can think to describe it is Bad Day At Black Rock with an alien invasion:

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

While it remains unfortunate that Robert Downey Jr. was unavailable for this project, the plot description sounds like a great time at the movies. Ford becoming a badass again is music to my ears and the image of Han Solo and James Bond teaming up against invading alien forces has been the plot of my dreams every Tuesday since I turned nine (What? You don't have a chip in your brain that organizes dreams like a TV schedule? You're missing out.)