Paramount Pictures’ “The Heart of the Beast,” starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Ayer, has been added to San Sebastián Film Festival’s lineup, screening out of competition in its Official Selection.
Both Pitt and Ayer will attend San Sebastián to present the film, the Spanish film festival announced Monday.
The survival thriller sees Pitt, a former Army Special Forces soldier, who must find a way back to civilization after his small plane crashes deep in the Alaskan wilderness.
Aided by a retired service dog, Odin, who protects him from bears, wolves and other beasts, Pitt’s character must battle the elements and embark on a desperate attempt to stay alive, climb mountains and cross rivers.
Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe star with Pitt, who serves as a producer with Olivia Hamilton and Marty Bowen alongside Ayer.
“Heart of the Beast” was written by Cameron Alexander and executive produced by Alexander, Damien Chazelle, Scott Lumpkin, Chris Long, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, Sophie Cassidy and Zack Conroy.
A Wild Chickens, Temple Hill, and Kino World production, the thriller was created in association with Domain Entertainment and Gulfstream Pictures.
Reuniting Pitt and Ayer after “Fury,” their 2014 World War II epic for Sony, “Heart of the Beast” marks the first announcement of big star presence at this year’s San Sebastián, which runs Sept. 18-26.
Another big name is likely to be Penelope Cruz, star of Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” who also makes an extended cameo as a cabaret singer rousing the troops in Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s “La bola negra.” Both films are selected for San Sebastián’s best-of-fests Perlak sidebar.