Leonardo DiCaprio Is Nearly Mauled By A Bear Then Seeks Revenge In ‘The Revenant’ [Video]

Leonardo DiCaprio, as Hugh Glass, is almost killed by a bear and seeks revenge after his son is unmercifully murdered in the upcoming film The Revenant. The thrilling full-length trailer gives a stunning preview of this spectacular survival tale.

As reported by the Huffington Post, DiCaprio’s character was inspired by the true events of explorer and fur trader Hugh Glass along the Western frontier during the early 1820s. Glass (DiCaprio) is out hunting and is viciously attacked by an obviously irate bear. Things turn even worse when Glass is robbed and buried alive while villain John Fitzgerald murders his son.

An embittered Glass survives and ultimately climbs out of the shallow grave and sets out on a 200-mile journey through uncharted wilderness, fueled by the thirst for revenge on the man who betrayed him. The trek includes confrontations with hostile Native Americans, unforgiving terrain, and an ongoing battle against the elements. Eventually, an enraged Glass catches up with Fitzgerald for an intense meeting of the now bitter enemies.

“I ain’t afraid to die anymore; I done it already”

In addition to DiCaprio, the film also stars Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald and Will Poulter as Jim Bridger. The Revenant was co-written and directed by Alejandro Inarritu and is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Michael Punke.

While Leonardo’s character endured his own trials, the film’s production had its own set of challenges.

According to Moviepilot, The Revenant cost more than it was supposed to. The original production budget was set at $60 million. However, the film seems to have extended itself beyond that, with current estimates ranging from $95 million to upwards of $135 million. Inarritu acknowledged the budget issue by saying, “I’m absolutely, even stupidly conscious about it.”

Contributing to the budget problems, the film was originally planned to be shot entirely in Canada using only natural light. However, due to weather changes and longer than anticipated shooting time, the production had to be moved to the southern tip of Argentina just to find snow for some of the scenes.

Enduring the harsh climate and poor planning, many crew members quit the project before it was completed. A few even said that making the film was the worst experience of their careers. One former crew-member even called it “a living hell.”

Acknowledging some crew did leave, Inarritu said, “but as a director, if I identify a violin that is out of tune, I have to take that from the orchestra.”

Despite the production problems, the director responded to critics and assured that the production difficulties were worth it.

“When you see the film, you will see the scale of it. And you will say, ‘Wow.’ “

The president and CEO of New Regency, Brad Weston, weighed in as well.

“This was a tough movie. We always knew it was a tough movie. And the movie’s great.”

Before Leonardo DiCaprio signed on for the starring role, both Samuel L Jackson and Christian Bale were considered for the part, but were eventually dropped. The Revenant is a welcome comeback for Leo as he has not starred in a film since Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, although he gets a different kind of dirty in this film.

Also, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, Leonardo DiCaprio is teaming up with Sons of Anarchy writer, Marco J. Ramirez, to produce a live-action adaptation of Akira.

Prior to The Revenant, Inarritu directed Birdman which ultimately won him Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Birdman also won Best Picture, which has some speculating The Revenant and DiCaprio are in the running for Oscar wins as well.

The beautifully shot film features lots of intense chase scenes, narrow escapes, and plenty of blood and guts. The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio is expected to hit U.S. theaters in limited release on December 25 and everywhere else January 8.

[Photos courtesy: Jason Merritt – Featured/Pascal Le Segretain – Alejandro Inarritu/Michael Buckner – Leonardo DiCaprio/Getty Images]