Brad Pitt's Next Action Blockbuster Officially Hits Theaters in 1 Week

2026 was a benchmark year for Brad Pitt, who starred in the most successful movie of his career despite now being more than 60 years old. Pitt teamed up with Damson Idris and Kerry Condon for F1: The Movie, which grossed $634 million at the global box office, enough to overtake World War Z (which is finally moving forward with a sequel) as the highest-grossing movie of Pitt's career. Pitt is eyeing a return to his only Oscar-winning role in just two months when he returns to IMAX for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, a direct continuation of the 2019 film Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino is not returning to direct the film — he enlisted David Fincher (The Social Network, Zodiac) to direct — but he did write the script.

While The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is the 2026 Brad Pitt film everyone is talking about, he has another film on the slate with the potential to be a massive action blockbuster. Pitt is teaming up with director David Ayer for Heart of the Beast, the new survival thriller set to be released exclusively in theaters next Friday, on September 25. As an indication of how important Heart of the Beast is to director David Ayer, he passed on reuniting with Jason Statham for The Beekeeper 2 to work with Pitt on the film. While Heart of the Beast is expected to be mostly a one-man show starring Brad Pitt, a few other cast members are attached to star, including Anna Lambe, best known for her role as Kayla in True Detective. Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons also has a role in the film.

What Is 'Heart of the Beast' About?

The official synopsis for Heart of the Beast reads as follows: "After surviving a plane crash, a former special forces soldier finds himself trapped in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog. Together, they battle the elements and other animals in a harsh landscape that would likely kill any other man or dog." The review embargo for Heart of the Beast has not yet been lifted at the time of writing, so the film does not have a score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is earning buzz from initial social reactions. The widespread sentiment is that Heart of the Beast is in line to be one of the best movies of the year.