TIFF 2012: Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace sizzle in first trailer for Brian De Palma’s ‘Passion’

It's been a while since we've heard anything from director Brian De Palma ("The Untouchables," "Mission: Impossible"). As he has moved away from Hollywood over the past decade, the formerly prolific director has slowed his output a great deal. The last movie De Palma directed was 2007's "Redacted," a divisive anti-war film dealing with the coverage of the US-led war in Iraq. Although the film won him the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, it didn't make much of a splash at the box office when it was released. De Palma has been lying fairly low since then.

Now, after a five-year absence, De Palma returns with his latest film, "Passion," an erotic thriller starring Rachel McAdams ("Midnight in Paris") and Noomi Rapace ("Prometheus") as a pair of cutthroat businesswomen. If that logline isn't enough to pique your interest, the first trailer for the film was released by the Toronto International Film Festival yesterday. Watch it below.

Other than the fact that McAdams and Rapace's characters really have it out for one another (in more ways than one), the "Passion" trailer doesn't tell audiences a whole lot about the film. Refreshingly obtuse and purposefully vague, the trailer is a far cry from the teaser for De Palma's 2002 film "Femme Fatale," which was literally just a sped up version of the full movie.

See also: Star lineup announced for TIFF 2012

What we do know is that "Passion" is a loose remake of the 2010 French film "Crime D'amour," starring Ludivine Sagnier and Kristin Scott-Thomas. That film spun a similar yarn about a successful businesswoman and her seemingly innocent protégée, but just how closely De Palma will follow the plot of the original film is unknown at this point. Given De Palma's infamous use of plot twists and surprise revelations in his films, a shot-for-shot remake is very unlikely.

See also: Kristen Stewart set to make post-scandal appearance at TIFF

People who know De Palma more for mainstream Hollywood fare like "Mission to Mars" are probably going to be in for a bit of a surprise. "Passion" looks like pretty steamy stuff, but any fan of De Palma's knows that murderously ambitious women who swing both ways are actually par for the course with the director, as De Palma's résumé includes racy movies like "Body Double" and "The Black Dahlia." Featuring De Palma hallmarks like dangerously seductive ladies and Alfred Hitchcock-inspired visuals, "Passion" seems like a return to form for the director.

"Passion" will premiere at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in just a few weeks, but no wide release has been announced as of yet.