NEWS: The first trailer for The Lovely Bones, written and directed by Peter Jackson, has just been released by Dreamworks Pictures. Based on the 2002 best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, 'Bones' is the story of a teenage girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, while she herself comes to terms with her own death.

The Lovely Bones is set for release on December 11, 2009. The film stars Saoirse Ronan (Susie Salmon), Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci. Wahlberg and Weisz play Susie's parents, and Sarandon plays her grandmother. Stanley Tucci takes on the role of George Harvey, her murderer. I have yet to read the book, but I was thoroughly impressed by this trailer.

Here's a behind the scenes look at the making of The Lovely Bones: