Watch Georges St-Pierre's bad guy turn opposite Steven Seagal as underboss in 'Cartels' trailer

Georges St-Pierre returns to the big screen next week – well, probably mostly smaller screens – with a starring role opposite Steven Seagal in the movie “Cartels.”

Although it was released internationally in 2016 as “Killing Salazar,” and had a DVD release in the United Kingdom earlier this year already, the studios behind the film will give it another push in the States with the new title. It is set to premiere in select theaters next week on July 7, as well as through iTunes as a digital download.

According to the synopsis from Lionsgate at the Internet Movie Database:

“Action legend Steven Seagal headlines this explosive thriller that pits U.S. forces against an Eastern European drug cartel. When crime boss Salazar turns informant, U.S. Marshal Jensen (Luke Goss, Blade II) and his team must guard their luxury-hotel safe house. But as cartel underboss Sinclaire (UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre) and his hit squads descend to murder Salazar, the situation explodes, enraging Agent Harrison (Seagal), who will stop at nothing to root out the mole that compromised the operation.”

In the trailer above, you can check out St-Pierre as a bad guy with a gun – and a Superman punch – playing opposite Seagal, who long has been a fixture at UFC fights.

Fair warning: In its initial release as “Killing Salazar,” the movie wasn’t exactly a hit with audiences, who have it at a 17 percent approval rating at online movie and TV reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. If you’re wondering just what a 17 percent audience score might mean, “Smurfs: The Lost Village” scored a 37 percent audience rating at the site, while recent releases “Wonder Woman” and “Baby Driver” are at 92 percent and 97 percent, respectively.

St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) was expected to fight middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the title in his long-awaited return from an extended hiatus/retirement, but when St-Pierre couldn’t be ready on the UFC’s timeline, that fight was shelved.

Instead, his return will be for the welterweight belt he once held when he fights the winner of champion Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia, who meet at UFC 214 next month.

St-Pierre held the UFC welterweight title for 2,064 days between 2008-2013. He vacated the belt following his ninth consecutive title defense against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013, citing a number of reasons for taking the nearly four-year hiatus from competition.

For more on UFC 214, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.