Samuel L. Jackson is trading the Oval Office for the driver’s seat in the explosive first trailer for The Beast, a new action thriller that puts the legendary actor at the centre of a full-scale attack on the U.S. government.
Directed by Renny Harlin, The Beast stars Jackson as the President of the United States, alongside Joel Kinnaman and Guy Burnet. The film looks set to combine the high-stakes intensity of political thrillers with the larger-than-life action of movies such as Die Hard and Olympus Has Fallen.
The trailer opens with a coordinated assault carried out by a heavily armed militia, leaving the President’s security detail dead and cutting him off from the usual protection and resources available to the nation’s leader.
With nowhere else to turn, the President climbs into the heavily armoured presidential limousine known as “The Beast” — but this isn’t simply a vehicle designed to keep him safe.
The President soon discovers that the limousine contains a highly classified arsenal of offensive capabilities. Forced to take control himself, he turns the ultimate presidential protection vehicle into his most powerful weapon.
Along the way, he joins forces with wounded Secret Service agent Taft, played by Kinnaman. Together, they attempt to survive a series of attacks, roadblocks, explosions and gunfights while desperately trying to regain control of the situation.
But escaping isn’t their only objective. The President must also locate Taft’s missing colleague, rescue the First Lady and uncover a way to stop the escalating attack before the country falls further into chaos.
The trailer promises plenty of vehicle-based mayhem, with The Beast smashing through roadblocks, absorbing heavy gunfire and unleashing its formidable weaponry. Jackson also appears to be embracing the opportunity to play a President who isn’t content to sit safely behind the scenes.
Written by Umair Aleem and produced by Keith Kjarval, John Logan Pierson, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Nicki Cortese and Robert Van Norden, the film comes from production companies Film 44 and Unified Pictures.
For Jackson, the film offers another opportunity to lean into the action genre, this time placing him at the centre of a high-concept survival story where the President himself becomes the country’s last line of defence.
The Beast is scheduled to hit cinemas on October 9, 2026.
