If you've watched canine horror Good Boy through your fingers, fearing for Indy's life, we've got another film featuring an adorable pup who we demand makes it till the end. Starring Brad Pitt, who also serves as a producer, Heart of the Beast has just released a first trailer, introducing this season's good boy as a retired service dog who helps the protagonist surviving the Alaskan wilderness.
Directed by David Ayer (The Beekeeper) and written by Cameron Alexander, the survival thriller stars Pitt as James Belmont, a former Army Special Forces soldier who must find a way to return to civilisation after a plane crash forces him in Australia.
By his side is his trusted, "handsome" German Shepherd Odin, with whom he has developed a special bond after serving together.
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"We just have to do this the hard way," James tells Odin as they try to navigate an unforgiving nature.
The trailer includes a look back at how James and his dog met during training, with James now promising him he's going to get both of them home. "One last mission," he tells his dog. "We're not gonna die out here."
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Also starring JK Simmons and Anna Lambe, the film counts Pitt, Ayer, Marty Bowen and Olivia Hamilton among its producers, with Hamilton producing under her banner Wild Chickens Productions, which she shares with husband, La La Land director Damien Chazelle.
In case you're wondering what we've all been wondering – does the dog die? – director Ayer confirmed that Odin will indeed come out the other side of Heart of the Beast relatively unscathed.
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"The one spoiler I'll forward right now is, don't worry, the dog lives," he told GQ earlier this week.
"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.
"To sit there and feel them lock in and believe this magic trick of this relationship, it's reaffirming as a filmmaker. I’m really proud of this as a filmmaker, and I feel like it represents a lot of growth for me. But I'll probably be the 'dog guy' for a while."
Heart of the Beast is released in cinemas on 25 September.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
