Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
Whalefall Turns a Sperm Whale Survival Tale Into a Story of Family
Whalefall follows scuba diver Jay Gardiner, who is swallowed by a sperm whale after an encounter with a squid.
Jay is searching the Pacific Ocean for the remains of his father, Mitt, who died by suicide after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
The ordeal becomes a chance to confront their strained relationship as Jay tries to escape the whale.
Director Brian Duffield and novelist Daniel Kraus worked together on the screenplay, based on Kraus’s book.
The crew built whale interiors and coordinated closely to film in tight spaces, with lighting and costumes designed around the sets.
Duffield also consulted whale experts and studied footage to make the extraordinary premise feel believable.
The film is now in theaters, according to the available information.
Whalefall follows a young diver who is swallowed by a sperm whale and must escape before his oxygen runs out.
Director Brian Duffield and author Daniel Kraus co-wrote the film’s screenplay, adapting Kraus’ novel.
The film’s story also follows Jay Gardiner’s effort to find the remains of his father, who died by suicide after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
The production built life-sized whale stomach sets and coordinated closely across departments to film inside the confined spaces.
Whalefall is in theaters, according to the articles.
- Who
- The film was directed by Brian Duffield and co-written by Duffield and author Daniel Kraus. Austin Abrams plays diver Jay Gardiner.
- What
- Whalefall is a survival film about a diver swallowed by a sperm whale, with a father-son story at its center.
- When
- It was in theaters in October 2026.
- Where
- The story is set in the Pacific Ocean. The film was shot in part at Radford Studios in Los Angeles.
- Why
- Jay seeks the remains of his father, who died by suicide after a mesothelioma diagnosis; he is then swallowed by a whale after an encounter with a squid.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Duffield saw Daniel Kraus post on X that his next book would tell the story of a diver swallowed by a sperm whale.
Kraus’ novel Whalefall was published.
Deadline visited the film’s set at Radford Studios in Los Angeles during an early whale-tank scene.
The articles reported that Whalefall was in theaters.
- Director
- Brian Duffield
- Co-writer
- Daniel Kraus
- Lead actor
- Austin Abrams as Jay Gardiner
- Source novel
- Whalefall, published in 2023
- Studio
- 20th Century Studios
4 sources
The Impossible ‘Whalefall’: Director Brian Duffield Wanted a Challenge, So He Discovered a Way to Crush Austin Abrams in a Whale Stomach That Left Onlookers ‘Baffled’
How ‘Whalefall’s Director & Author Wove The Closure Of A Father-Son Relationship Into A Survival Tale
Whalefall's Josh Brolin Cried So Hard Reading The Book That It Changed His Performance [Exclusive]
Brian Duffield Made a Realistic Movie About Surviving Inside a Sperm Whale
What people are saying
It takes a village to build a whale, and I think it takes a really great village to survive it. And that’s been really one of the most gratifying parts of [production],
Our job was to make you really stressed out by how realistic it is.
The idea of making a movie that had never been made before is always really appealing to me.
It’s such an interlocked set. I’ve never made a movie, and I can’t imagine ever making a movie where every single department really has to be talking to each other every step of the way,