Brad Pitt's survival drama, 'Heart of the Beast', which features him as Sergeant Major James Belmont, a former special forces officer, was largely filmed in New Zealand's South Island, specifically near Glenorchy. The production recreated the Alaskan wilderness, a central element of the film, in the Southern Hemisphere.
Director David Ayer noted the 45-day production period contributed to the film's energy, describing it as a "real race" in remote locations. Production designer Greg Berry aimed for realism and to convey nature's dual sensibility, incorporating moments of both lightness and darkness through the landscape.
Key locations included Lake Wakatipu for the campsite, Earnslaw Burn for aerial glacier shots, and Lake Gunn for the plane crash site. The Invincible Snowfields, a private ski resort, was used for scenes involving James and Odin's encounter with a bear. Due to New Zealand's wildlife regulations, all wolves and bears in the film were created using CGI.