HOT off the success of the US No. 1 hit thriller "The Covenant," Steven Strait journeys to the pre-historic past in Warner Bros.’ new epic adventure "10,000 BC" from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow").

"There’s something very beautiful about how the human condition hasn’t really changed over the millennia," says Strait who plays the young warrior D’Leh in the film. "What makes us human beings hasn’t changed since pre-historic times – love, compassion, conscience, sympathy. You see all of these things in this film. And you can relate to that no matter what era you live in."

In "10,000 BC," young hunter D’Leh has found his heart’s passion – the beautiful Evolet (Camilla Belle). But when a band of mysterious warlords raid his remote village and kidnap Evolet, D’Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her.

"D’Leh is the group outsider," explains Strait, who made his feature film debut in 2005’s comedy "Sky High." "He has been shunned by the rest of the tribe because of something that his father did in the past. They consider abandoning the tribe the most shameful thing a man can do, and D’Leh has to live with that legacy. But while it makes his life more of a challenge, it also gives him strength."

"I’m drawn to father-son conflicts," Emmerich says. "D’Leh has been abandoned as a boy, and like many boys whose father has run away, he has been stigmatized by his tribe and has a chip on his shoulder. He eventually learns that his father did it for a reason."

The casting search for the part of D’Leh spanned the United States, Europe, South America and New Zealand. Emmerich recalls, "I saw Steven’s face in the poster of `Undiscovered’ and said, ‘Who is that?’ We screen-tested him, and also tested other people, but I always came back to Steven. He was just 18 at the time, and when he started this film he was good but not quite so sure of himself. I was very proud of him because, like D’Leh, he makes a total transformation in this movie. He had to essentially carry the movie, and he did. It was an amazing thing to see."

Strait was excited about the prospect of working with Emmerich. "I’m a big fan of his films so it was thrilling to have an opportunity to work with him," the actor says. "Roland is first and foremost a storyteller; even his most spectacular films are driven by the characters. When I read the script, I remember thinking what an extraordinary adventure it was, and making the film was an adventure beyond anything I ever imagined."

Opening today, March 5, "10,000 BC" is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.