Brad Pitt is set to reunite with his Fury director David Ayer, as the Oscar-winning actor has been cast to star in Heart of the Beast. According to Deadline, the project is an “action adventure film” that follows an ex-Special Forces soldier (presumably the character Pitt will play) who, alongside his old combat dog, is forced to “battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.” Ayer isn’t the only familiar face Pitt will work with on Heart of the Beast; Damien Chazelle, who directed Pitt in 2022’s Babylon, is one of the film’s producers. In addition to starring, Pitt is taking on a producing role himself.
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Deadline‘s report does not mention when Heart of the Beast will begin production. However, Pitt’s casting would seem to indicate the project is a priority for Ayer and distributor Paramount and they’re hoping to start rolling cameras soon.
Ayer signed on to direct Heart of the Beast last March. The filmmaker is coming off 2024’s The Beekeeper, the Jason Statham vehicle that earned positive reviews and grossed $152.7 million at the worldwide box office. As he continues developing new movies, Ayer remains hopeful that his version of 2016’s Suicide Squad will see the light of day at some point.
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Fury, Pitt and Ayer’s previous collaboration, was released back in 2014. The World War II drama about a tank crew embarking on a dangerous mission was well-received, being named one of the year’s best films by the National Board of Review. Pitt earned a Best Actor in an Action Movie nomination at the Critics Choice Awards for his performance. Fury was commercially successful, grossing $211.8 million globally against a budget in the $68-80 million range.
Ayer can be hit-or-miss as a director (Fury was released the same year as the widely panned Sabotage), but the prospect of him re-teaming with Pitt is an exciting one. After they worked well together on Fury, it’ll be interesting to see what they cook up for Heart of the Beast. Based on the premise, it sounds like it could be a hard-hitting drama, with the dynamic between the ex-soldier and his canine companion giving the story a poignant emotional core. Ayer’s best films (see: Fury, End of Watch) are the ones that find a compelling way to explore their characters, and Heart of the Beast could fit that bill. Pitt’s natural screen presence should be one of the movie’s strongest assets, making his ex-soldier an easy character to root for and sympathize with.
