Veteran actor J K Simmons has signed on for Heart of the Beast, the upcoming Paramount Pictures film directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt.
This marks Simmons’ second collaboration with Ayer, following their work together on the 2005 crime thriller Harsh Times starring Christian Bale. It also reunites Simmons with Pitt for the third time, having previously shared the screen in The Mexican (2001) and the Coen brothers’ dark comedy Burn After Reading (2008).
Heart of the Beast follows a former Army Special Forces soldier and his retired combat dog as they struggle to survive after a plane crash leaves them stranded in the treacherous Alaskan wilderness. The screenplay is penned by Cameron Alexander, who also serves as an executive producer.
The film boasts an impressive lineup of producers, including Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton under their Wild Chickens Productions banner as part of their first-look deal with Paramount. Ayer is producing through Crave Films, alongside Temple Hill Entertainment. Pitt, a two-time Academy Award winner, is also producing under his Plan B Entertainment banner, with Richard Raymond co-producing.
Simmons, an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner for his unforgettable portrayal of a ruthless music instructor in Whiplash (2014), has long been a powerhouse in Hollywood. He is widely recognised for his role as J Jonah Jameson in Sony’s Spider-Man films across both Sam Raimi’s and Jon Watts’ adaptations. His extensive filmography includes La La Land, Juno, Saturday Night, the most recent Christmas action-comedy Red One starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, and Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos, which earned him a second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
