It’s been nearly 50 years since a certain shark-centric thriller made audiences everywhere scared to get back in the water. But with his new horror film “Dangerous Animals,” director Sean Byrne and his cast want to correct the species’ misrepresentation displayed in “Jaws” by terrifying viewers with the true top of the food chain: the human being.
But not just any old human. In “Dangerous Animals,” Jai Courtney portrays a charming yet brutal serial killer named Tucker who uses the ocean to live out his own killer instincts. Naturally, it’s not the sharks’ fault they’d eat whatever they find submerged amongst the chum. In fact, both the cast and crew went so far as to praise the animals at the film’s Los Angeles premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday night — even if they experienced a real-life shark attack on set while making the Australian/Canadian/American co-production.
“S–t got real,” Courtney told the audience in a post-screening Q&A, revealing the cast was present for the near miss. According to the Aussie actor, a shark nipped a cameraman’s snorkeling fin while he was riding a Jet Ski.
In the end, the crew utilized an underwater barrier to keep the actors, stunt actors and crew members safe in the open ocean, as well as pools for select close-up shots. Plus, every single person involved confirmed they’re more afraid of serial killers than sharks, especially after making the movie.
“Sharks have had a bad rap over the years — they’re actually beautiful creatures — and this sets the record straight: man’s the monster, shark’s not the monster,” Byrne further noted on the carpet.
Aside from the movie’s more murderous plottings, “Dangerous Animals” also features a romance between Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) and Moses (Josh Heuston), with both actors in star-making turns. Their instant chemistry gives the film deeper stakes, all while ratcheting up the tension.
For “Yellowstone” and “Tacoma FD” actress Harrison, having the movie premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival earlier this month — the first Australian film to make the Directors’ Fortnight in a decade — made the mid-ocean night shoots worth it.
“It is scary, it is hard, it is cold. You want to be in the ocean for an hour, two hours — imagine a 12-hour day in the ocean. It gets pruny,” Harrison told TheWrap with a laugh. “I love sharks and I love wildlife. This is such a cool movie in that it makes the audience ask, ‘What is scarier?’”
Meanwhile, the “Heartbreak High” and “Dune: Prophecy” actor told TheWrap what it’s like to represent his native Australia on the international stage.
“I feel like every little kid dreams of something like this. I’m a big advocate for Australian film and television, so to get that opportunity to put it on the world’s stage is incredible,” Heuston shared. “You ride the waves you can pick up. For me, I’ve been fortunate to have good opportunities and to make the most of them.”
“It really was quite special for us, the reception was so positive,” Courtney agreed. “It was so cool to have a flood of energy around the film, especially for one that’s a little unexpected for the festival.”
However, the “Suicide Squad” star also shared his own unique perspective on the potential serial killers who walk among us: “I’ve never been afraid of serial killers, I’m actually fascinated by them. I listen to a lot of true crime, so getting into the mind of this guy was not the tricky part. I kind of live there, weirdly. Just because these characters in society intrigue me — it’s a strange thing to consider that we engage with folks all the time who are capable of really atrocious things, that we’ll never know.”
The premiere event featured a red carpet, a shark-diving photo op, blood in the water cocktails and mocktails, on-theme passed apps and even chum bucket tomato soup. Other notable guests included writer Nick Lepard, co-star Liam Greinke, Marco Calvani, Shannon Purser, Max Ehrich, Scarlett DeMeo and Dina Shihabi, just to name a few.
“Dangerous Animals” swims into theaters on Friday, June 6, in the United States and June 12 in Australia. Shudder and Independent Film Company (IFC) are distributing stateside, while Kismet Movies handles the down under release.
