Whalefall traps – In 20th Century Studios’ thriller “Whalefall,” Austin Abrams’ character is swallowed by a whale and must find a way out before oxygen runs out. Director Brian Duffield says the hardest part wasn’t the water—it was building a movie that largely takes place insi
Austin Abrams’ character doesn’t just get swallowed—he gets trapped. In 20th Century Studios’ ocean-set thriller “Whalefall,” the scuba diver at the center of the story is eaten by a whale and must fight his way out before the oxygen in his tank runs out.
The first trailer teases the moment the danger begins. with Duffield’s screenplay putting the audience in the same enclosed space as Abrams. Director and co-writer Brian Duffield. adapting Daniel Kraus’ bestseller. framed the scope of the challenge in a way that makes the stakes feel immediate: the “water stuff” wasn’t the hardest part.
“The bulk of our movie takes place within the whale himself, and we go a really long time without cutting outside,” Duffield said.
That means most of “Whalefall” unfolds nearly in real time. as Abrams’ character navigates multiple stomachs while something inside the whale keeps working to chew him up. Duffield also points out a detail that makes the sequence feel even more brutal: whales chew with their stomachs. not their mouths. And inside the belly is a squid—built by the practical effects team at Weta—sharing the confined space with him.
Duffield said his approach was about pressure and proximity, not slick spectacle. He wants the experience to feel like both Abrams and the audience are stuck inside the whale’s mouth, or swallowed by the water, or trapped in the stomach together.
“This movie needs to feel like Austin Abrams and the audience are stuck in this whale’s mouth or swallowed by the water or stuck in the stomach together,” he explained. He also said he pushed aside “fancy sexy camera s–t” to keep the focus on Abrams’ performance.
There are flashbacks, and “Whalefall” is ultimately built as a father-son story, with Josh Brolin playing Abrams’ dad. Still. Duffield emphasizes that the bulk of the movie rests on Abrams’ shoulders—and the timeline for that physical and emotional workload is tight. Abrams is set to lead Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” in September. just a month before “Whalefall” opens in theaters on Oct. 16.
Duffield said he hasn’t seen “Resident Evil” yet, but after speaking with Abrams and watching the “awesome trailer,” he expects “two very different movies and two very different characters and performances.” He added that he’s “really thrilled for him” ahead of what he called “quite the fall.”
The production also carries its own kind of pressure-cooker detail. Duffield said he was proud that “Whalefall” was shot in Los Angeles. something he wanted to do even before the fires. He described the set as unusually challenging and energized. with a crew that came from “Disclosure Day” and Fincher productions—people who. in Duffield’s telling. reacted to the difficulty with excitement because they hadn’t done anything like it before.
“Whalefall” opens exclusively in theaters on Oct. 16.
Whalefall Austin Abrams Brian Duffield Daniel Kraus 20th Century Studios Josh Brolin Weta thriller scuba diver whale stomach Resident Evil Zach Cregger trailer October 16