A Live Lion Got Loose On The Set Of Idris Elba’s Beast, A Movie About A Live Lion On The Loose

Kormákur’s son served as the second unit director of photography on “Beast,” and was tasked with hopping in the lion’s cage to shoot reference scenes. “That’s the kind of father I am,” Kormákur joked. If putting his own son in a lion’s cage wasn’t horrifying enough, Kormákur confessed that the lion didn’t stay in the cage. “I’m not sure I’m allowed to say this, but [the lion] got out at one point, and there was a little bit of panic on set!” Fortunately no one was harmed and the team was able to get all of the shots they needed, but the idea of a live lion casually strutting around a film set is a thing of nightmares.

It’s hard not to immediately think of “Roar” from 1981, the ill-advised family adventure film from “The Exorcist” producer Noel Marshall, featuring his at-the-time wife Tippi Hedren and her daughter Melanie Griffith. For the uninitiated, the film featured an estimated 150 untrained and uncaged big cats. Marshall also starred in the film and is often shown actively bleeding on screen after a lion has swiped him. The film’s re-release tagline read “No animals were harmed in the making of this movie. 70 members of the cast and crew were.” Thankfully, “Beast” was smart enough not to pull a ridiculous stunt like that, and we’ll all get the chance to enjoy Idris Elba fighting a digital lion without any lingering guilt.

“Beast” hits theaters on August 19, 2022.