Adam McKay (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) is no real stranger to taking on some serious social issues. His buddy cop comedy The Other Guys was just released after the financial crisis of the late 2000s. The film’s closing credits included animated infographics on the consequences of Ponzi schemes, financial fraud, and wealth inequality. But his new film, The Big Short, takes on the financial crisis in a very serious way.

Paramount Pictures has released a new trailer for The Big Short, starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, just a few weeks before its limited theatrical release. Watch the trailer here below.

Based on Michael Lewis‘ book of the same name, the story follows four men (played by the four aforementioned stars) who saw that the financial bubble was going to burst. Together they put a bold plan into motion: bet against the big banks and make a profit off of their punishment for committing fraud.

The film premiered during the AFI Fest earlier this month, where it was met with glowing reviews. While McKay is known for some of the best comedies in recent memory, he is also known to be vocal about financial injustices. As previously mentioned, The Other Guys addressed this in a very comedic way, and its closing credit helped simplify how disastrous a Ponzi scheme can be to any economy. But McKay’s comedy won’t be totally lost, as the trailer will show there are bits of it hiding, just not the kind of brand of McKay comedy you are accustomed to seeing. This will surely help take what may seem like a boring issue to the average person, and make it more entertaining as well as make it that much easier to digest.

The Big Short also stars Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Finn Whittrock, and Rafe Spall. Paramount Pictures will release the film in limited theaters on December 11, and then it expands nationwide on December 23, 2015.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Trailer

[Source: Paramount Pictures]