The first trailer for the new Johnny Depp movie Transcendence was released this week by Warner Bros.

Transcendence stars Depp as Dr. Will Caster, an artificial intelligence scientist obsessed with creating a supercomputer capable of sentient thought.

"The path to building super intelligence requires us to unlock the most fundamental secrets of the universe," Depp says as Dr. Caster in the trailer. "Imagine a machine with a full range of human emotion. Its analytical power will be greater than the collective intelligence of every person in the history of the world."

At midway point of the trailer, a mysterious man shoots Dr. Caster with a bullet laced with radiation. It is soon discovered that a group of anti-technology extremists is targeting Dr. Caster's advancements.

Along with his team of scientists, Dr. Caster decides to upload his consciousness to a computer while his physical body lays dying.

Rebecca Hall stars as Dr. Caster's wife Evelyn and Paul Bettany plays Max, his best friend. Other actors making appearances in the movie include Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara and Cillian Murphy.

Cinematographer Wally Pfister is making his directorial debut with Transcendence. Pfister won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography of 2010 for his work in Christopher Nolan's Inception. He has been nominated for three other Nolan movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Prestige.

The film was written by newcomer Jack Paglen, whose screenplay for Transcendence was on the 2012 Black List for most anticipated un-produced screenplays.

Transcendence is scheduled for release in theaters on Apr. 17, 2014.

Watch the trailer for Transcendence here:

Tags: Transcendence Johnny Depp