Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, the thriller co-stars Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries and is produced by Will Packer and James Lopez

"Beast" will be released by Universal Pictures on August 19, 2022

Cape Town, South Africa — Universal Pictures and Will Packer Productions announced today that principal photography has commenced in South Africa on the pulse-pounding new thriller, Beast, starring Idris Elba and directed by visceral, experiential filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur (Everest and Universal Pictures' 2 Guns and Contraband). 

Beast is produced by Will Packer, the blockbuster producer of Girls Trip, the Ride Along franchise, and ten movies that have opened No. 1 at the U.S. box office, including Night School, No Good Deed and Think Like a Man, and by James Lopez, president of Will Packer Productions. The film is written by Ryan Engle (Rampage, Non-Stop) and is executive produced by Jaime Primak Sullivan and Bernard Bellew.

Elba (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, The Suicide Squad) stars as Dr. Nate Samuels, a recently widowed husband who returns to South Africa, where he first met his wife, on a long-planned trip with their teenage daughters to a game reserve managed by an old family friend and wildlife biologist. But what begins as a journey of healing jolts into a fearsome fight for survival when a rogue lion, a survivor of blood-thirsty poachers who now sees all humans as the enemy, begins stalking them. 

South African actor Sharlto Copley (Russian Doll series, Maleficent) co-stars as Nate Samuels' old friend, Martin Battles. Iyana Halley (The Hate U Give, This Is Us series) plays Samuels' 18-year-old daughter, Meredith, and Leah Sava Jeffries (Rel series, Empire series) plays his 13-year-old, Norah.

Beast will be filmed entirely in South Africa during a 10-week shoot in the rural provinces of Limpopo and Northern Cape and in the city of Cape Town.

The production is working in collaboration and cooperation with South African production services company Known Associates Entertainment (KAE) and with South Africa'sDepartment of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC).

Beast will be released by Universal Pictures on August 19, 2022.

Sharlto Copley is represented by WME and Fourward. Iyana Halley is represented by Greene & Associates Talent Agency, Pallas Management Group and Del, Shaw, Moonves. Leah Sava Jeffries is represented by The Osbrink Agency, Level Talent Group and Fox Rothchild.

Media Contact:

Ashley Momtaheni, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group 310-270-6691, ashley.momtaheni@nbcuni.com

About Will Packer ProductionsWill Packer Productions is a leading film production company that has achieved unprecedented success. The company's unique understanding of the New American Mainstream audience has resulted in films that have earned more than $1 billion, with ten films that have opened at number one, including Girls Trip and Night School, the top grossing comedies of 2018 and 2017. Other WPP films include The Photograph, Little, What Men Want as well as Ride Along 2, No Good Deed, Think Like a Man Too, Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Takers, Obsessed, Breaking In and Stomp the Yard.

About Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com).  Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal.  NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.  NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks.  NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

/PRNewswire/ -- June 1, 2021

SOURCE Universal Pictures