Watch Metallica’s James Hetfield in the trailer for new western movie The Thicket

It’s been well over a year since it was announced that James Hetfield would star in The Thicket, and finally we’ve got a proper look at the Metallica man in the movie.

Papa Het joins a great cast including Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis in the Tubi ‘dark western thriller’, which is due out on September 6. Based on the 2013 mystery novel of the same name by American writer Joe R. Lansdale, The Thicket tells the story of “a bounty hunter and a band of unlikely heroes” who “pursue a brutal killer” and then “find themselves in a deadly no-man’s-land known as The Thicket”.

And our man James’ role is that of a sheriff. As you can see in the trailer below he’ll seemingly be pretty involved in the film, getting into a gunfight at one point and then wandering through some snowy woodlands while smoking a cigar and generally looking like a badass.

Can’t wait.

Speaking with Collider last month about the importance of recruiting James for this job, director Elliott Lester explained: “The casting of James Hetfield in The Thicket is a story that feels almost destined. It all began with a dream – one morning I woke up with a clear vision that James had to be in the movie.

“James Hetfield, a rock god, embodies a raw poetry that fit perfectly with the character we envisioned. From that moment, Peter Dinklage and I were relentless in our pursuit. We tried every possible avenue: his manager, mutual friends, anyone who could help us reach him.”

Read this: 10 lesser known Metallica songs that everyone needs to hear