Brad Pitt will return to the San Sebastian Film Festival for the first time in 17 years, the event’s organisers said on Monday, arriving to present “Heart of the Beast,” the latest film from director David Ayer. The survival thriller will screen out of competition as part of the festival’s Official Selection.
The American actor is due at the 74th edition, which runs from 18 to 26 September, to introduce the film alongside Ayer. The two last collaborated on the 2014 war drama “Fury.” In “Heart of the Beast,” Pitt plays James Belmont, a retired Army Special Forces officer who survives a plane crash with Odin, his former military working dog. Stranded in the Alaskan wilderness, the pair must stay alive and find their way back to civilisation.
The cast also features J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe. Cameron Alexander wrote the screenplay, and the film is produced by Pitt, Olivia Hamilton, Marty Bowen and Ayer, with filmmaker Damien Chazelle among the executive producers. It is scheduled to reach cinemas on 25 September, days after its festival bow.
The appearance marks Pitt’s first visit to San Sebastian since 2009, when he presented “Inglourious Basterds” with director Quentin Tarantino in the festival’s Perlak section. The addition of “Heart of the Beast” rounds out the Official Selection of the 74th edition, which comprises 17 films in competition, three shown out of competition and five special screenings.
Ayer, born in Illinois in 1968, started out as a screenwriter on titles such as “U-571” and “Training Day” before moving behind the camera. His directing credits include “End of Watch,” “Fury,” “Suicide Squad,” “The Beekeeper” and “A Working Man.” The San Sebastian festival, one of Europe’s most prominent, will close on 26 September.
