The Revenant is a 2015 American epic Western action drama directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The screenplay by Mark L. Smith and Iñárritu is based in part on Michael Punke’s 2002 novel The Revenant, which describes frontiersman Hugh Glass’s experiences in 1823 and is based on the 1915 poem The Song of Hugh Glass.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film is considered a remake of Man in the Wilderness (1971).

In August 2001, Akiva Goldsman purchased Punke’s manuscript. Iñárritu signed on to direct The Revenant in August 2011; in April 2014, after several delays due to other projects, Iñárritu confirmed that he was beginning work on it and that DiCaprio had the lead role. 

Principal photography began in October 2014. Location and crew concerns delayed production from May to August 2015.

The Revenant premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California on December 16, 2015. It had a limited release on December 25 and a wide release on January 8, 2016. It was a blockbuster, grossing $533 million worldwide.

It received positive reviews, with praise for the performances, particularly for DiCaprio and Hardy, Iñárritu’s direction, and Lubezki’s cinematography; however, some criticism went to its runtime.