Scarlett Johansson is back to her butt-kicking best in the newly-released trailer for her upcoming movie, Lucy.

In a plot similar to that of 2011’s Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, the blonde takes on the titular role of a drug mule who becomes superhuman when the substance begins to leak in her body, allowing her to access 100 per cent of her brain’s capacity.

Set in Taipei, Taiwan, Lucy uses her new abilities to battle the drug lords who are holding her against her will as she learns to bend space and time as her powers develop.

Back to her best: Scarlett Johansson kicks some serious butt in the newly-released trailer for her upcoming film Lucy, in which she develops super-human powers after a bag of drugs she’s forced to carry inside her stomach begins to leak into her system

Worst nightmare: Waking up in a strange hotel after a night out clubbing, the 20-something discovers that she is now a drug mule, after a medical procedure was performed on her, placing the drugs into her stomach which she is to ‘transport’ for a nasty drug lord

Waking up in a hotel room following a night out clubbing, the 20-something is shocked to see that some sort of medical procedure has been performed on her stomach.

‘We’ve merely slipped a little package into your tummy and you’re going to transport something very special for us,’ she’s told by her captor, before she is given a passport and new identity.

Later finding herself locked up in a cell, she’s attacked and kicked so viciously in the gut that the bag of drugs ruptures and the contents seeps into her system.

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‘You’re going to transport something very special for us’: Her wound is at first the only reminder of what’s happened to her

Don’t ask questions: She is given a new identity – that of Lucy – as she is told the role she will play in the cartel’s drug running

‘Someone put a bag of drugs inside me. I need you to remove it – it’s leaking,’ she tells the surgeons at the hospital as she holds a gun to their heads after escaping by harnessing her new super-strength.

The 29-year-old is barely recognisable with her cropped blonde locks and far more masculine attire than usual, as she expertly wields a gun.

The film was well and truly in capable hands, directed and written by Frenchman Luc Besson – the man behind The Fifth Element, The Transporter and La Femme Nikita, to name but a few.

Armed and dangerous! The 29-year-old is almost unrecognisable with her cropped blonde locks and more masculine clothing as she wields a gun like a pro

The eyes have it: After being brutally kicked in the stomach, the drugs begin to leak, allowing Lucy to access more and more of her brain’s capacity, leading to super-strength and the ability to bend time and space

‘I’m not even sure mankind is ready for that’: Professor Norman – played by Morgan Freeman – predicts Lucy could potentially unlock the biggest secrets of the universe with her heightened knowledge as her powers continue to develop

It also stars Morgan Freeman as Professor Norman, whose research into brain function comes into play, with Lucy tracking him down to confirm that he’s on the right track, if a little out of his league.

‘It is estimated most human beings only use 10 per cent of their brain’s capacity. Imagine if we could access 100 per cent. Interesting things begin to happen,’ he tells his class during a lecture.

With Lucy already doing amazing things at just 28 per cent cerebral capacity, the professor admitshe has ‘no idea’ what will happen when she reaches her full potential.

‘Imagine if we could access 100 per cent of our brain’s capacity. Interesting things begin to happen’: The professor gives a lecture to his students, before Lucy gets in touch, telling him his research on the brain is accurate if a little lacking

Fast learner: With no prior training, Lucy is able to tune into the previously unused areas of her brain in order to develop the skills needed to escape from her captors

Undercover: In order to escape, a dark wig conceals her identity – but only for so long

‘I’m not even sure mankind is ready for that,’ he says, as he predicts that she could potentially unlock the biggest secrets of the universe with her heightened knowledge.

‘It’s like all the things that make me human are fading away,’ she reveals as she begins to lose herself to the changes taking hold.

The mind-bending sci-fi action movie is set to hit cinemas on August 8.

She’s surrounded: With guns pointed at her left, right and centre, with just a wave of her hands, only one man is left standing

He doesn’t stand a chance: Lucy’s powers are no match for the drug lord, who clearly doesn’t comprehend the full ability of his own product