The first trailer for Brad Pitt’s new movie is here, and fans seem ready for it.
Paramount released the trailer for “Heart of the Beast” on Thursday, giving viewers their first real look at Pitt’s latest action thriller. The film stars the 62-year-old actor as a former Navy SEAL who is stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. He is not alone, though. His retired combat dog is with him, and the two are forced to survive together in brutal conditions.
The online reaction was immediate, with many fans praising Pitt’s screen presence and the movie’s gritty survival premise.
“Imagine being 60 and still cooler than every actor under 30, Brad Pitt different,” one viewer wrote in the YouTube comments.
Another fan called the trailer “PEAK,” adding that they could not wait to see the movie. A third praised Pitt as “the perfect combination” of actor, action hero, performer, and superstar.
“Heart of the Beast” is directed by David Ayer, whose past work includes action-heavy films such as “Fury” and “End of Watch.” The movie also stars J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe, and is expected to premiere on September 25.
The official synopsis describes the film as an intense survival thriller centered on Special Forces officer James Belmont, played by Pitt, and his combat dog, Odin. After a plane crash leaves them deep in the Alaskan wilderness, the two must fight the elements while relying on the bond they built together.
The trailer leans into that premise, mixing isolation, danger, and the emotional connection between a soldier and his dog. For Pitt, it is another physically demanding role at a point in his career when he continues to move between major studio films, prestige projects, and crowd-pleasing action roles.
“Heart of the Beast” is not the only major project on Pitt’s schedule. He is also set to return as Cliff Booth in “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a continuation of the character he played in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood.”
That role became one of Pitt’s most popular in recent years and earned him the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Fans had long wondered whether Cliff Booth might appear again, and Pitt confirmed last year that the new film is based on material written by Tarantino.
“This is something Quentin Tarantino wrote,” Pitt told Deadline in June 2025. “It’s an episode, not really a sequel, of the character from ‘Once Upon a Time.’”
Pitt also said Tarantino did not want to direct the project at this stage, so David Fincher stepped in. Pitt said filming was expected to begin in July and described the project as something that “should be really good fun.”
The release of the “Heart of the Beast” trailer also came one day after a report about Pitt’s daughter Zahara, whom he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. According to E! News, Zahara reportedly petitioned to remove Pitt from her last name and be known as Zahara Marley Jolie.
Her reported decision follows a similar move by Pitt and Jolie’s daughter Shiloh, who previously petitioned to drop Pitt from her last name. Shiloh later appeared professionally under the nickname Shi while choreographing a dance for performers Keoni Rose and Tako Suzuki, according to Variety.
A source told People in June 2024 that Pitt was aware Shiloh had filed to drop his last name and was upset by it.
“He’s never felt more joy than when she was born,” the source said at the time. “He always wanted a daughter.”
The source added that reminders of the distance between Pitt and his children have been painful for him, saying he loves and misses them.
Pitt and Jolie separated in September 2016 after more than a decade together. Since then, Pitt has been linked to a few women, though his most public relationship has been with Ines de Ramon. The two began dating in late 2022 and have appeared together publicly several times.
For now, though, much of the public attention is back on Pitt’s work. With “Heart of the Beast,” he appears to be returning to a rugged, high-stakes role built around survival, loyalty, and endurance. Based on the first wave of fan reaction, the trailer did its job.
