Brad Pitt and David Ayer Reunite for 'The Heart of the Beast' at San Sebastián
Brad Pitt and director David Ayer will present their new Paramount film The Heart of the Beast at the 2026 San Sebastián Film Festival, screening out of competition in the Official Selection. The festival runs 18–26 September in the Basque city. (Variety)
In the film, Pitt plays a former Army Special Forces soldier whose small plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness. Stranded and far from help, his character must find his way back to civilization — aided by a retired service dog named Odin, who protects him from bears, wolves and other threats. J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe co-star. Cameron Alexander wrote the screenplay. (Variety)
The project reunites Pitt and Ayer for the first time since their 2014 World War II epic Fury, which Sony released. Pitt produces alongside Olivia Hamilton, Marty Bowen and Ayer himself. Executive producers include Cameron Alexander, Damien Chazelle, Scott Lumpkin, Chris Long, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, Sophie Cassidy and Zack Conroy. (Variety)
The production credits span several companies: Wild Chickens, Temple Hill and Kino World produced, in association with Domain Entertainment and Gulfstream Pictures. Temple Hill has a track record in wide-audience genre fare; the additional partners suggest a blend of studio-scale ambition and independent financing structure. (Variety)
The festival's own press page confirmed the film's inclusion — under its Spanish title En el corazón de la bestia — and the attendance of both Pitt and Ayer. San Sebastián's Official Selection is the festival's top tier; "out of competition" means the film screens in that section but is not eligible for the main jury prizes. (San Sebastián Film Festival)
For Pitt, the festival stop places The Heart of the Beast in front of European press and buyers just as Paramount positions the title for its wider release run. The survival thriller setup — a lone soldier, a loyal dog, and a hostile landscape —pairs a familiar genre framework with a star who, at this stage, can choose his projects carefully.
Ayer, whose directing credits range from End of Watch to Suicide Squad, has lately worked closer to the independent end of the spectrum. A San Sebastián berth is the kind of festival platform that can reset the conversation around a filmmaker.
The 74th San Sebastián Film Festival takes place 18–26 September in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
