High-concept survival thriller Whalefall introduces a terrifying concept: what if you were swallowed by a whale? It’s that urgent sense of peril that earns the film its new MPA rating.
Whalefall has been rated PG-13 for “peril, violent content, bloody images, some strong language, and thematic content.”
The new movie arrives only in theaters October 16.
Following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) directs 20th Century Studios’ upcoming aquatic survival thriller from a script he co-wrote with Daniel Kraus, based on Kraus’ 2023 novel.
Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin star with Elisabeth Shue (“The Boys”), Jane Levy (River, Evil Dead), John Ortiz (Kong: Skull Island), and Emily Rudd (Fear Street Part Two: 1978).
I called Whalefall one of the best horror books of 2023. I wrote, “Kraus’ brisk-paced novel toggles between survival horror and an internal journey through grief in the most propulsive way possible. It results in the most pulse-pounding, fast read of the year.”
It’s not a horror novel, but it’s so intensely terrifying and well-researched that it unlocks new aquatic fears.
Austin Abrams also stars in Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, in theaters now.
