“IT Was One of the Best Pieces of Writing I’D Ever Seen,” Says Director David Ayer About Emotional Survival Thriller “Heart of the Beast,” Starring Brad Pitt and Dog Uber 

“Heart of the Beast” opens wide Sept. 23. Catch sneak previews on Sept. 19 and 20!

Director David Ayer believes that no great story should remain untold and once he read the script for Heart of the Beast, he knew that he wanted to be the person to tell this one. “It was simply one of the best pieces of writing I’d ever seen,” he says of the screenplay written by Cameron Alexander. “It didn’t just make me cry; it made me ugly cry. I’d have to stop and process a little bit, then start reading a few more pages.”

The director is well known for kinetic, hard-edged stories of brotherhood and perseverance, like the World War II action-adventure Fury and the gritty, documentary-style urban cop drama End of Watch. He recognized Sergeant Major James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and canine commando Odin (played by real dogs led by Uber, a majestic, 100+ pound German Shepherd) as brothers-in-arms, each willing to do whatever it takes to keep the other alive.

Heart of the Beast tells the story of Special Forces officer James Belmont and his combat dog, Odin, who both get stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness after a harrowing plane crash. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements, in an intense adventure thriller that explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet.

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“After surviving the unsurvivable in Iraq and Afghanistan, they face yet another challenge together,” says Ayer of Belmont and Odin. “In my mind, James had made the dog a promise, something like, ‘If we survive this, I’m going to take you fishing.’ There’s something magnetic about being stranded in the wilderness. We’ve all been cold. We’ve all been lost. We’ve all been hungry. This film takes audiences on that journey and makes them wonder, could I survive this? But it’s also the story of devoted partners that never give up on each other, that care more about each other’s safety than their own and who would sacrifice themselves for the other in a heartbeat.”

Producers Damien Chazelle, the Oscar®-winning director of La La Land, and his partner Olivia Hamilton had the same reaction. “The simplicity of the script and its description of man versus wilderness grabbed us,” says Hamilton. “It didn’t try to be complicated, and it spoke to a broad audience. Yes, it’s an action and adventure movie, but there’s also a ton of heart.”

Screenwriter Cameron Alexander says that part of his inspiration for the film was his longstanding love of the outdoors and fascination with military culture. His admiration for warriors like Navy SEALs and Green Berets is evident in the script.

“Those guys are incredible,” he says. “During America’s most recent wars, they were joined by combat dogs capable of incredible tasks. There hasn’t been a tale focusing on what happens to the soldiers or the dogs when they get out of the military. I became fascinated with their stories and I thought it could be a really unique portrayal of the PTSD they both can suffer from.”

There was another, more personal inspiration as well. “I wrote it at a difficult moment in my life,” Alexander says. “At the time, I felt like my only real friend was my dog Hoss. There was no complicated calculus. I just wanted to write about my dog. Hoss was having a lot of health problems, so all my spare money went to trying to fix him. Right when he passed away, Olivia and Damien came into my life. I felt like I took care of Hoss and, after his death, he took care of me. He made my dreams come true. So I hope the audience takes away the message to keep fighting for the things that you love and to never give up. That’s the core of the film.”

For Pitt, the emotional journey Belmont and Odin go through together is ultimately what makes the film more than a survival story. “For me, this was a love story above and beyond a survival story,” he says. “And my hope is that that’s felt and that that’s experienced.”

Catch Heart of the Beast in sneak previews in the following cinemas on September 19 and 20: 

Heart of the Beast opens nationwide in cinemas September 23. #HeartOfTheBeast 

Photo and Video Credit: “Paramount Pictures”