Two quite different versions of the Brad Pitt-led survival film “Heart of the Beast” competed during testing of the movie, according to a new report.
Puck News (via WoR) indicates there were competing cuts of the film as Pitt and director David Ayer disagreed on the tone. Ayer had a ‘broader cut’ which tested better, Pitt’s was more ‘esoteric’ and was approved by some of the producers – including filmmaker Damien Chazelle.
Studio chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein extended the post-production schedule, and the result is that the finished film is essentially Ayer’s cut but has been “shaped throughout by Pitt’s input”. Either way, test screening reactions were said to be quite good.
Cameron Alexander penned the film which begins after a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Pitt) and his German Shepherd combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness.
Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. The intense adventure thriller explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet.
J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe co-star in the film which is set to open in cinemas on September 25th.
