The story takes place in 1873, New Mexico Territory. It follows an amnesiac outlaw, Jake, who wakes with no recollection of who he is and a mysterious bracelet on his wrist. When alien spacecrafts suddenly attack the town and abduct several residents, the citizens are forced to work together.

Fortunately for them, Jake’s strange bracelet is a powerful weapon against the otherworldly species. Cowboys & Aliens features Daniel Craig as Jake, Harrison Ford as Woodrow, Olivia Wilde as Ella, Sam Rockwell as Doc, Paul Dano as Percy, Adam Beach as Nat, Clancy Brown as Meacham, and Walton Goggins as Hunt, among others. The film is based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s 2006 graphic novel of the same name.

Interestingly, Universal and DreamWorks bought the rights to adapt Cowboys & Aliens while Rosenberg was still working on the graphic novel (via Variety). By 2004, the studios lost the rights to Columbia Pictures, but acquired it again in 2007. At one point, Robert Downey Jr. was attached to the project, but ultimately left to reprise his titular role in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

He was also the one who suggested Favreau’s name while working on Iron Man 2. Apart from directing, he also served as an executive producer alongside Steven Spielberg. Meanwhile, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby wrote the screenplay.

Cowboys & Aliens premiered at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. It later debuted in theaters on July 29, 2011. Despite a $163 million budget, the film earned only $174.8 million at the global box office.

The underwhelming box office was likely due to mixed reception from both critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a 44% Tomatometer score and a 43% Popcornmeter score.