Whalefall enters production today in Los Angeles, and writer Daniel Kraus shared a behind-the-scenes look at Josh Brolin as Mitt Gardiner.
Kraus wrote in his newsletter, “Nearly all of my books have been optioned at some point, but very few get shot, and I wouldn’t have necessarily bet on the book that’s mostly set inside a whale would be the one to get there — and attract so much talent. Not only Brolin, but Austin Abrams (playing Jay), who I’ve gotten to know as a good dude who is super-super-super serious about this role.”
Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) directs the aquatic survival thriller from a script he co-wrote with Kraus, based on Kraus’ 2023 novel.
It centers on a scuba diver in search of his deceased father’s remains who gets swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. After giving up on life, the young man is surprised to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.
Abrams and Brolin star with Elisabeth Shue (“The Boys”), Jane Levy (Evil Dead), John Ortiz (Kong: Skull Island), and Emily Rudd (Fear Street Part Two: 1978).
Described as “The Martian meets 127 Hours,” the project is backed by Imagine Entertainment and 20th Century Studios.
