Sandra Bullock Campaigns for Another Oscar With the First 'Our Brand Is Crisis' Trailer

Two years after taking a terrifying journey back from outer space in Gravity, Sandra Bullock has landed in South America.

The Oscar-winning actress makes her return to the big screen with the upcoming Our Brand is Crisis (see the trailer above), a political satire based on a 2005 documentary of the same name. Bullock plays a political consultant who is hired by Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada to run his fledgling reelection campaign. In real life, it was veteran Clinton adviser James Carville who in 2002 was brought from Washington to Bolivia to help the struggling president reverse his political fortunes.

The film has been in development for years, with Bullock’s Gravity co-star George Clooney originally set to star. Clooney and his producing partner, Grant Heslov, were more than happy to have Bullock come aboard, flipping the gender of the lead to make it happen. Prolific indie filmmaker David Gordon Green, best known for the 2009 comedy The Pineapple Express, eventually came on as director, while Anthony Mackie, Zoe Kazan and Billy Bob Thornton (who played a Carville-inspired character in 2008’s Primary Colors) signed on for supporting roles.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bullock likened her character to Republican mastermind Karl Rove, who helped send George W. Bush to the White House twice.

“She’s brilliant at the devious side of politics,” she said. “It’s all about the win for them, and probably not for the right reasons.” And as you can see from the trailer, she’s willing to do anything to triumph — even play dirty.

Our Brand is Crisis hits theaters on Oct. 30.