Brad Pitt Returns to San Sebastian with David Ayer's 'Heart of the Beast'
Brad Pitt will make his first appearance at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 17 years, arriving on the Spanish coast this September with Heart of the Beast, a Paramount Pictures survival thriller directed by David Ayer. The film screens out of competition — meaning it is shown outside the festival's prize race — at the 74th edition of the festival, which runs in the Basque city of Donostia. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on 24 August 2026.
Pitt's last visit to San Sebastian was in 2009, when he presented Inglourious Basterds alongside Quentin Tarantino. His return pairs him with Ayer for the first time since their 2014 collaboration on Fury, the Second World War tank drama. Cameron Alexander wrote the screenplay.
In Heart of the Beast, Pitt plays a former Special Forces officer who, accompanied by his retired combat dog, must survive in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe round out the cast. Pitt produces alongside Olivia Hamilton, Marty Bowen and Ayer himself, with Damien Chazelle — the Oscar-winning director of La La Land and Babylon — among the executive producers.
Paramount has set a theatrical release for 25 September 2026, just days after the festival's closing. The timing gives the San Sebastian screening the feel of a high-profile launch platform — a prestigious festival bow followed immediately by a wide release to cinemagoers. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the date in May.
The addition of Heart of the Beast completes the official selection for this year's festival: 17 films in competition, three out of competition and five special screenings. The festival's own website lists the film under its Spanish title, Heart of the Beast (En el corazón de la bestia). San Sebastian Film Festival
For Pitt, the appearance continues a tradition of major Hollywood stars travelling to the Basque Country each September — San Sebastian has long drawn A-list names to its red carpet, and a 17-year gap only sharpens the anticipation. For Ayer, it is a reunion with a leading man he knows well, and a chance to unveil a stripped-down survival story on one of Europe's most respected festival stages.
