Directed by Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happyness), and led by Gerard Butler, Playing for Keeps will be heading into US theatres in just over a month, before coming to the UK for a nicely-timed New Year’s Day release, for what should be a solid romantic comedy choice to start the New Year.

We saw the first trailer over the summer, and now Lionsgate have sent over the UK variant, along with the film’s first poster for our shores.

“A charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy’s soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an “adult” are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive “soccer moms” who pursue him at every turn.”

Previously titled Playing the Field, Butler takes the lead of an impressive cast, starring alongside Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, and the ever-brilliant Judy Greer.

Muccino is directing from a script by Robbie Fox (So I Married an Axe Murderer), with Butler himself producing alongside recently frequent collaborator, Alan Siegel (Law Abiding Citizen, Machine Gun Preacher).

Playing for Keeps will be released in the US on 7th December, before coming to the UK for a New Year’s Day release, bringing it a month forward ahead of its previously announced 1st February release. For now, here’s the UK trailer, alongside the new poster, which you can click to enlarge.

[yframe url=’www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr7vCo5ixjg’]