2022 has been surprisingly dry in terms of horror movies. One mid-budget film may be looking to change that, as Universal has released a trailer for their survival horror film Beast starring Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Idris Elba as a man defending his daughters from a lion.
Elba's career has seen him land bigger roles since his days playing John Luther. In the 2020s alone, Elba has voiced Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, starred as Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, and appeared as intimidating cowboy Rufus Buck in Netflix's The Harder They Fall. Elba has amassed many fans who have since imagined the actor in a variety of big roles, including James Bond and Mass Effect's Commander Shepard. Elba has shown no signs of slowing down, as later this year, he will also appear in George Miller's Three Thousand Years of Longing as well as a film adaptation of his hit series Luther.
In Beast, a brand-new horror film by Universal, Elba stars as Dr. Nate Samuels, a widower who takes his daughters to South Africa in memory of his wife. It's there, in the African wilderness, where they are attacked by a rogue lion, turning their trip into a struggle for survival. In addition to Elba, the film stars Sharlto Copley, an actor made famous for starring in Neill Blomkamp's District 9, as well as character actress Riley Keough. Beast is directed by Baltasar Kormákur—an action/adventure filmmaker known for 2 Guns, Everest, and Adrift—and written by Rampage screenwriter Ryan Engle.
The rest of 2022 holds exciting potential for horror and thriller films. Universal Pictures is especially banking on horror films this year, as they'll also release Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone in June and Jordan Peele's Nope in July. Other upcoming horror films releasing in theaters include Bed Rest, about a pregnant woman haunted by ghosts, Bodies Bodies Bodies, about a group of teenagers reacting to murders occring during their mansion party, and Salem's Lot, a new adaptation of the eponymous Stephen King story.
Beast looks to be one of the most exciting movies of the summer season. If Beast and other recent films like 47 Meters Down and Crawl are any indications, the natural horror genre made famous by Jaws, a genre where humans' position at the top of the food chain is called into question, still contains the untapped potential for yielding unforgettable new stories.
Beast releases in theaters on August 19th, 2022.
Source: Universal Pictures