Bringing A Fighter’s Tale To Life
During the production of Land of Bad on the Gold Coast in September 2022, writer-producer David Frigerio pitched Beast to Russell Crowe and sent him an early draft. Crowe’s reply: “Mate, there’s a good story there, but we can make it great. When can you get to Sydney?” Frigerio booked a one-way flight from Los Angeles that night, and the pair spent two relentless weeks working on the script.
“Authenticity in Beast was very important to me, because I didn’t want to lie to the audience,” says Tyler Atkins.
Fight coordinator Igor Breakenback worked with Daniel MacPherson for two years before production, training him across Thai boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Bren Foster, an eight-time world champion, choreographed the fights, and the cast performed around 90% of their own fight scenes.
The film’s final fight was shot with ONE, the world’s largest martial arts organisation, in front of a live crowd of 10,000 at its Thailand arena.
The Crowe Influence
“The best advice Russell gave me was, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,’” Daniel MacPherson remembers.
Amy Shark, making her film debut as Rose, described working with Crowe as “a pinch-me moment.”
