Brad Pitt Says Indie Cinema Feels as Strong as the '90s

At San Sebastián, Brad Pitt argued today's indie scene rivals the 1990s while warning that mid-budget movies are struggling to get made.

Speaking at a packed press conference at the Kursaal Theater ahead of the *Heart of the Beast* premiere, Brad Pitt told reporters the current landscape is 'really conducive to independent cinema' because 'more eyes are getting on these projects. It even feels as strong as in the '90s.' According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was Pitt's first San Sebastián appearance since presenting *Inglourious Basterds* there in 2009. Director David Ayer, per the same outlet, pointed to new discovery pipelines — including young horror directors Curry Barker and Kane Parsons — saying filmmakers are now 'coming in off YouTube or the internet.'

Pitt paired his optimism with a caution both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter quote at length. 'Streaming has brought us so many more opportunities for actors, writers, directors,' he said, producing 'a greater plethora of really interesting stories and really interesting talents.' But he warned that as tentpoles recoup their costs, 'anything in the middle ground — anything from 30, maybe 40, 60 [million dollars] — has a really difficult time getting made, even movies like ours.' He hoped those films 'still have space, because that's usually where I end up most, in the middle ground.'

Netflix Junkie's read on the quote argues it is less nostalgia than a parallel of discovery routes: the 1990s had festivals, video stores and word-of-mouth breakouts like *Clerks* and *Pulp Fiction*, while today streaming platforms and creator-led promotion multiply the ways indies find audiences. The outlet also notes that Pitt is backing up the talk with a next project — it reports he will lead *The Riders*, an adaptation of Tim Winton's novel fully financed by A24 and directed by Oscar-nominated *Conclave* filmmaker Edward Berger, with production set to begin in early 2026 across European locations.

The occasion was *Heart of the Beast*, David Ayer's survival drama screening as a late festival addition. Per Deadline, Pitt plays former Special Forces officer James Belmont, who with his retired combat dog Odin battles for survival in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash. The film, written by Cameron Alexander, reunites Pitt and Ayer for the first time since 2014's *Fury*, and its producers include Olivia Hamilton, Marty Bowen, Ayer and Pitt, with Damien Chazelle among the executive producers. Deadline reports Paramount releases the film on September 25, with J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe in the cast.

The disagreement about Hollywood's shape is the story film readers should watch: an industry consolidating — the Paramount-WBD merger loomed over reporters' questions, per The Hollywood Reporter — while streamers and festival pipelines sustain a thriving lower-budget tier. Pitt's framing suggests the danger zone sits in the middle, where star vehicles like his own struggle for studio backing even as A24-style financing and YouTube-to-auteur discovery routes flourish.