First image of Channing Tatum in the bloody historical action epic The Eagle |

We’ve nabbed this first bloody shot of Channing Tatum from the Roman epic adventure The Eagle, based on the classic novel by Rosemary Sutcliff.

The film is being released by Focus Features – the studio that next week unveils the George Clooney assassin adventure The American – on February 25, 2011.

The Eagle is set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain, 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland.

Last King of Scotland director and Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald (State of Play, One Day in September) is at the helm of The Eagle, which also stars Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong and Tahar Rahim. Jeremy Brock – who wrote Last King of Scotland – penned the screenplay for The Eagle.

Here is the synopsis for the film:

A Roman epic adventure, based on the classic novel of the same name, set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (played by Channing Tatum of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell of Defiance and Jumper), Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

Click on the image below to see it larger.