He has fought aliens before, but now Will Smith and his son Jaden are the aliens fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic Earth. In a trailer for film After Earth, released on Monday, the Smiths team up once again to play onscreen father and son.

The flick – set more than a thousand years in the future – is the brainchild of supernatural film director M. Night Shyamalan.

After his disastrous previous film, The Last Airbender, M. Night is banking on the father and son’s chemistry to make After Earth a hit.

This is, of course, not the first time Will and Jaden have played on screen father and son.

In 2006, an eight-year-old Jaden made his acting debut opposite Will in Pursuit of Happyness and, in doing so, helped his father towards an Oscar nomination.

Now all grown up, 14-year-old Jaden – who plays Kitai Raige – is his father’s only hope after they crash land on the long abandoned earth and Will’s character Cypher Raige is injured.

According to the film’s official synopsis this is Kitai’s chance to shine against his iconic general father. And, the film is also likely to be Jaden’s time to define himself against his father in the acting world.

‘As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon,’ the official synopsis says.

‘His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.’

Ashton Tyler | Elite.