{"id":603472,"date":"2026-04-13T05:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/603472\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T05:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:40:08","slug":"beast-director-on-crafting-an-mma-drama-directing-russell-crowe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/603472\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Beast\u2019 Director on Crafting an MMA Drama, Directing Russell Crowe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIn Beast, Australian director Tyler Atkins<\/a> (Boasch & Rockit, aka Ocean Boy) sets out to do something more ambitious than simply stage bone-crunching fight sequences. His debut feature in the MMA arena is as much about family, identity and masculinity as it is about survival inside the cage.<\/p>\n

\n\tShot across between Australia<\/a> and Thailand, Beast pairs visceral action with an emotional core anchored by a working-class fighter torn between who he is and who he\u2019s expected to be. With Russell Crowe<\/a> lending gravitas as a battle-hardened trainer (Sammy) and Daniel MacPherson embodying the conflicted fighter (Patton James) at its centre, Atkins leans into the human cost of violence \u2014 and the strength required to endure it.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking with The Hollywood Reporter Australia, Atkins reflects on the film\u2019s unconventional production and his personal philosophy that shaped its themes. Beast opens in U.S. theaters on April 10, and at home in Australia on April 23.<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst of all, congratulations. This was a complex shoot \u2014 how long did it actually take?<\/p>\n

\n\tThank you. It\u2019s a hard one to answer because it was pretty unconventional. We shot in three different blocks. The first was about 10 days \u2014 all the gym material and the Russell Crowe scenes. Then we went to Thailand for a week, and after that we shot the drama over four weeks. So about seven weeks of shooting, but spread across four or five months. It was pretty wild \u2014 different units, different locations.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat drew you to a fight film? It\u2019s not an obvious lane for you.<\/p>\n

\n\tI actually turned the script down a couple of times. It was originally set in America and I just couldn\u2019t see the film \u2014 and if I can\u2019t see a vision, I won\u2019t do it. But the producer encouraged me to reread it, and Luke Hemsworth said something that stuck with me \u2014 you don\u2019t always get a 10-out-of-10 script, but if you see elements you connect with, you can elevate it.<\/p>\n

\n\tI love MMA. I love stories about men who protect their families and communities. I\u2019m big on partnership, forgiveness \u2014 those themes really spoke to me. So I reshaped the film around what I\u2019m passionate about.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt plays like a fight film, but the family story is really the engine.<\/p>\n

\n\tCompletely. The wife and daughter \u2014 that\u2019s what drives everything. I leaned heavily into that. It\u2019s about a man who\u2019s trying to provide for his family but isn\u2019t allowed to be who he truly is.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a powerful moment where his wife realises she has to let him be that person \u2014 even though it terrifies her. Fighters can die. They can suffer brain damage. But she understands that suppressing who he is isn\u2019t the answer either. That moment was really important to me.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe opening sequence is striking \u2014 you show both the brutality and the glory of the sport almost instantly.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was very intentional. In MMA, one guy wins, one guy loses \u2014 and the difference can be one punch. I wanted to show that contrast straight away.<\/p>\n

\n\tThen you have Russell Crowe\u2019s character taking a fighter who\u2019s terrified and getting him ready to walk into a cage. There\u2019s something almost spiritual about it \u2014 like a preacher sending someone into battle. We added war drums into the score to give it that primal, ritualistic feel.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat conversations did you and Daniel MacPherson have about the character?<\/p>\n

\n\tWe worked on that character for years. Dan trained in MMA \u2014 Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, boxing \u2014 and we really built this guy from the ground up.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s one of those forgotten men. A working-class guy from Port Kembla (NSW) who can build a house, fix an engine \u2014 that kind of man. I wanted to explore what I call \u201cdivine masculinity.\u201d Not aggression or toxicity, but a man who\u2019s in control, who protects, who gives. That was really important to me.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou touch on masculinity in a way that feels very deliberate.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I think we\u2019ve lost the conversation around what a good man actually is. It\u2019s not about money or status. It\u2019s about integrity, responsibility, protecting others. That\u2019s what I wanted to put on screen.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRussell Crowe in \u2018Beast\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDeepwater Films<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s it like directing Russell Crowe?<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s a master. You don\u2019t really direct him \u2014 you collaborate. We workshopped the script at his farm, and on set he just knows exactly what he\u2019s doing. You might give a small note here or there, but he brings it to life in a way that\u2019s incredible to watch.<\/p>\n

\n\tWere you looking at other films for inspiration?<\/p>\n

\n\tDefinitely. Requiem for a Heavyweight was a big one \u2014 it\u2019s got so much heart. And of course Rocky \u2014 that\u2019s the blueprint for the underdog story.<\/p>\n

\n\tI also love emotional films like Paper Moon and On the Waterfront. That\u2019s what I was chasing \u2014 heart and soul. But at the same time, I wanted Beast to feel authentic and real.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou had a major curveball with your cinematographer just before shooting.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah \u2014 seven days before we started, our DP had a serious health issue and had to step away. We couldn\u2019t delay \u2014 the film had already collapsed twice before \u2014 so we had to push forward.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019d spent two and a half years working as a grip, basically doing film school on set. That gave me confidence. We brought in Thomaz Labanca, who hadn\u2019t shot a feature before, but had a great eye. I just said, \u201cLet\u2019s go for it.\u201d And he delivered.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe world of the film feels very specific \u2014 especially Port Kembla.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was crucial. Port Kembla is part of the character \u2014 it\u2019s an old steel town, very raw, very real. Shooting it somewhere like Sydney wouldn\u2019t have worked. We fought hard to keep that authenticity, because the environment shapes who this guy is.<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking back, what are you most proud of?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat we stuck to the vision. It was a tough shoot, a lot of pressure, but we committed to making something real \u2014 something with heart. And I think that comes through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Beast, Australian director Tyler Atkins (Boasch & Rockit, aka Ocean Boy) sets out to do something more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,293891,786,3389,785,31121,85,293892,293676],"class_list":{"0":"post-603472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-beast-2026","11":"tag-fighting","12":"tag-international","13":"tag-mma","14":"tag-russell-crowe","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-thr-australia","17":"tag-tyler-atkins"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}