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Idris Elba's action-packed lion thriller 'Beast' stalking its way to Peacock on Oct. 7
Start stocking up on tranquilizer darts!
You might want to start stocking up on tranquilizer darts because Beast — Universal Pictures' lion thriller starring Idris Elba — will officially claw its way onto Peacock this Friday (Oct. 7), the streaming platform has announced.
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur (known for helming other man vs. nature flicks like Everest and Adrift), the film centers around single father, Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba), and his two teenage daughters — Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries) — who find themselves locked in a battle for survival when a massive, revenge-driven lion decides to stalk them during a visit to the African savanna. But a lion is never just a lion... at least in the cinematic world. In addition to grappling the physical beast, Nate must also confront the proverbial monster that is the overwhelming grief of his wife's recent passing from cancer.
Chatting with us over the summer, Elba stated that the title refers to "the massive pot of ingredients of all these themes" found within the movie. "Calling the lion a beast is to evoke something into the audience. But when you watch the film, it's a bit more than that," the actor continued. "The human being becomes the beast in some instances. The poaching and that becomes beast-like to what it does to the natural environment of the animals. What mourning does when someone dies and how you deal with that in your family, that becomes like a beast, the way it attacks the family structure. Yeah. I think there is symbolism in the word."
Catching up with SYFY WIRE on a separate occasion, Kormákur explained that his desire was to strip away the romanticized elements of nature and deliver a raw look at just how unforgiving wild animals can be. "It’s [about] giving a full experience, but not the Out of Africa experience," he said. "Not this beauty, it’s more like you are going through it with the cast ... That's what I was looking for and through this kind of style, trying to make it a more immersive and intense experience."
District 9 alum Sharlto Copley rounds out the tight-knit cast as Nate's old friend and wildlife biologist, Martin Battles.
Based on a story from Jaime Primak Sullivan (The Baxters), the film's screenplay was penned by Ryan Engle (Rampage). Kormákur produced the feature alongside Will Packer (Girls Trip) and James Lopez (Night School). Primak Sullivan and Bernard Bellew (T2, Trainspotting) are executive producers.
