Brad Pitt’s upcoming adventure film Heart of the Beast has finally gotten its first look. The movie, which was directed by The Fast and the Furious‘s David Ayer, makes its theatrical debut this September.
GQ shared a first look interview and photos from the set of Heart of the Beast, which show Pitt starring as a former Army Special Forces soldier who takes his retired combat dog along with him as the two return to society after a terrible accident happens deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Pitt and his canine co-star can both be seen in the photos from Heart of the Beast, along with the beautiful nature in New Zealand that serves as the film’s backdrop. It arrives in theaters on Sept. 25, 2026.
David Ayers Calls Brad Pitt a ‘Beast’ in New Action Adventure Film
According to Ayer, Pitt more than lives up to the film’s name, and his work was certainly one that left a good impression. “He’s a beast,” Ayer told GQ. “He was vulnerable and exposed himself in a way that I haven’t seen before. A constant theme from people who have seen the film is just how raw and believable and profound his performance is.”
Pitt and Ayer previously worked together on the war film Fury back in 2014. Ayer also opened up about how both he and Pitt have matured in their creative endeavors over the past decade. “Fury was interesting because it’s a war movie, there’s tanks, stuff blowing up, people everywhere, and there’s a scale to it. In this film, there’s nowhere to hide. It’s me, Brad, a camera, and a dog,” he shared.
Ayer also compared the film to Pitt’s latest theatrical success: 2025’s sports drama, F1. “He’s coming off the success of F1, and it’s such a big international world, with the cars and the noise and the crowds, and then he got compressed down into this aesthetic of simple beauty and playing such intricate…I don’t want to say suffering, because there’s so much joy and hope in it. But it was definitely an evolution,” Ayer said, adding that it was ‘probably the most difficult film’ he’s ever made as well.
Ayer also praised Pitt for being committed to the role, even at 62 years old. “He was doing so much of this stuff himself; I think we doubled him for just a couple shots,” Ayer revealed. “So everything you see is his work, and it took an immense physical toll. […] I’ve done this long enough and worked with so many talented people that you know when someone’s fully showing up and putting themself through something above and beyond.”
Ayers Also Discusses the Dangers of Working with a Dog on Set
Brad Pitt isn’t the only lovable star that Heart of the Beast has to offer, and Ayer also talked about the film’s other leading character: Odin the dog. “There were four dogs: the main dog was Uber, and he was the father of the other three dogs, Seeka, Ryker, and Hondo,” Ayer revealed.
He also acknowledged his reputation for violence in his films, especially Jason Statham movies, and assured audiences they don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to Odin. “The one spoiler I’ll forward right now is, don’t worry, the dog lives,” he said, but still added that the movie delivers an emotional ending. “I’ve shown the film to a few of my roughneck, tough-guy friends, and they’re crying at the end of this. I’ve never had a film move an audience so powerfully.”
Heart of the Beast will be released in theaters on Sept. 25, 2026.