To write the screenplay, Soderbergh recruited writer Lem Dobbs, with whom he collaborated on the excellent The Limey.  Dobbs created the story of Mallory Kane, a private contractor in the competitive field of international espionage.  An ex-special ops soldier, Kane finds herself betrayed in the midst of a mission.  Naturally, she does not simply allow this to pass without incident.  Instead, she goes on a mission of revenge that finds Carano navigating allegiances in an ensemble that includes Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, Michael Angarano, and Ewan Macgregor.

While Dobbs wrote the script, Soderbergh explained that the concept for Haywire began when he first saw Carano fighting.  "I saw Gina fighting on television," he explained. "I tuned in one night, just out of curiosity."  Impressed with her physicality and charismatic presence, he said, "I literally thought, 'Why doesn't someone build a movie around her?'"  From there, he recruited screenwriter Lem Dobbs, with whom he collaborated on the excellent The Limey.

His impression of Carano became the guiding principle for the approach to the film's action scenes, he said.  "I thought it would be interesting and unusual if you could make a female character who could perform physically for real.  If there were no cutaways or stunt doubles."  This extended to the world of privatized military organizations, and he explained, "We had a couple of consultants that worked with to make sure everything was factually accurate."

To put it simply, Soderbergh said, "My rule was, 'it has to be real.'" 

Tatum was thrilled to a part of project, which allowed him to engage in fisticuffs with Carano.  "I've been a fan of Gina's for a long time," he stated.  "I follow MMA pretty avidly."  For her part, Carano was impressed with Soderbergh as her first director.  "It actually ruined movies for a couple of months for me," she said, continuing, "because I noticed everything."

Of acting for the first time, she said, "It's definitely a skill and I don't think everybody's capable of it, just like fighting."

Then there's the clip that was shown.  The clip begins with Carano and Fassbender in a swanky hotel, both wearing fancy dress and looking sophisticated. There's no score, and everything feels much more like a staid relationship drama as two smart characters subtly gauge one another.  Once the pair has arrived in their hotel room, though, a bare-fisted fight ensues with startling abruptness.  The action scene is relentless and brutal, as two highly trained individuals make every strike count in a real attempt to kill one another.  Unlike other fight scenes of its ilk, however, there is no shakeycam superficially increasing the intensity; every single move and counter-move is on full display, allowing the audience to fully appreciate the impeccable choreography and execution.  To say it's impressive would be to do it a profound disservice.

Wrapping things up, Soderbergh addressed the widespread reports of his imminent retirement.  He dismissed these reports, explaining that he and Matt Damon had a casual, drunken conversation while filming  the thriller Contagion.  Subsequently, Damon mentioned it in an interview and it, "Got blown of proportion."  He jokingly blamed Damon completely.

The trailer that premiered at Comic-Con today is now online and can be viewed by clicking right here, along with the first official poster.

Haywire hits theaters on January 20, 2012.  You're going to need the next few months to prepare yourself.

Full disclosure: Haywire was produced by Relativity Media, iamROGUE's parent company