Thanks to his work both as a writer on FX's dark and celebrated hit The Shield and as the creator of (and co-star within) the cabler's flagship biker drama Sons of Anarchy, Kurt Sutter cemented himself as an often brilliant storyteller, though one whose workplace behavior got him into trouble on occasion. For his latest project, Sutter is completely changing up mediums to team up with Blumhouse Productions and Netflix in creating a monstrous new streaming film titled This Beast.
To be expected, Kurt Sutter will not only be directing This Beast, but he'll also be producing as well as writing the screenplay. Which means this marks the first time Sutter will have full control (as it were) over what will almost definitely be an R-rated project. So if Sons of Anarchy's most extreme moments are anything to go by – or even those of The Bastard Executioner – then This Beast will likely be filled with explicit language, references to genitals, people getting beaten in disturbing ways, and maybe even a motorcycle or two. Well, maybe not that last one, considering the movie takes place in the 1700s.
Here's how This Beast's story will go: In the 18th century, there exists an English village that is plagued by the deadly and seemingly unstoppable whims of the mysterious and unidentified beast of the title. After dozens of villagers fall victim to the slaughter, the already horrifying situation is exacerbated by religious fanatics in the area. Enter an unsuspecting trapper who claims to be the one who can bring the beast down, though his interest in the hunt is far more of a personal mission than anything else.
Kurt Sutter's story for This Beast is partially inspired by the mysterious French creature dubbed The Beast of Gévaudan, a name likely familiar to Teen Wolf fans. In the 1760s, The Beast of Gévaudan was infamous for terrorizing a village in France and reportedly causing hundreds of deaths to people and animals during that stretch. A monster whose bite is worse than its bark sounds like the perfect Sutter character.
Here's what Kurt Sutter had to say in his statement about This Beast:
Bringing my disturbing, familial story sensibility into the Blumhouse world just seemed like something that had to happen. And This Beast is the perfect project for that marriage. And Netflix is the perfect venue for that bloody ceremony.
Jason Blum championed Kurt Sutter for his "unparalleled storytelling" that can be both extremely intense and disturbing while also packing "an emotional punch." Blumhouse has obviously come a long way from its low-budget horror roots, and is now known for all manner of award-friendly genre projects. (Okay, so that long-gestating Five Nights at Freddy's adaptation probably won't be Oscar bait.) Will that company survive its first partnership with Sutter on Netflix? It's definitely got a better shot than 80% of This Beast's characters.
With the screenplay for Jake Gyllenhaal's boxing flick Southpaw as his sole entry on the theatrical side of things so far, Kurt Sutter most recently served as co-creator and co-showrunner on the Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C., but after he initially announced he was stepping down as co-showrunner for Season 3, he was fired outright by FX for workplace conduct. For whose who miss that corner of the TV universe, Mayans M.C. will return to FX with its highly anticipated third season on Tuesday, March 16.
