After generating much buzz with his hard-hitting action flick The Beekeeper, David Ayer is partnering with Brad Pitt for Paramount‘s Heart of the Beast. Ayer’s latest project finds the director re-teaming with J.K. Simmons, who starred alongside Christian Bale in Ayer’s action thriller Harsh Times. Pitt and Simmons have also worked together in 2001’s The Mexican and the Coen Brothers’ comedy Burn After Reading. Unlike the Coens’ satirical crime thriller, Heart of the Beast finds Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons traveling to the Alaskan wilderness for a chilling survival tale from Cameron Alexander.
According to Deadline‘s description, Heart of the Beast “follows a former Army Special Forces Soldier and his retired combat dog who battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.”
Alexander will executive produce and write the screenplay, which Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton will produce through Wild Chickens Productions. Ayer will produce via his Crave Films banner alongside Temple Hill Entertainment and Brad Pitt’s Plan B studio.
Beyond being the voice of Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man for Prime Video’s Invincible, Simmons recently played a jacked-up Santa Claus in Jake Kasdan’s Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans as a duo on a mission to save Christmas. He’s currently in production on The Prince, a drama from Cameron Van Hoy, which chronicles an addict’s tumultuous odyssey through the high-stakes world of power, pleasure, and pain on a transformative journey toward recovery. The Prince stars Nicolas Cage, Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito, Andy Garcia, and Beverly D’Angelo. Additionally, Simmons is a featured player in Gavin O’Connor’s anticipated sequel, The Accountant 2, starring Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal.
David Ayer’s next film finds him re-teaming with The Beekeeper star Jason Statham for A Working Man. The one-person-army action film focuses on Levon Cade, who left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism.
Are you excited about David Ayer, Brad Pitt, and J.K. Simmons getting the band back together for Heart of the Beast? Let us know in the comments section below.
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