Austin Abrams Gets Swallowed By a Sperm Whale in the First Trailer for Whalefall!
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Phil Roberts 
In the first trailer for Brian Duffield’s survival thriller Whalefall, Austin Abrams finds himself in the belly of the beast.
Move over, Jaws, because it’s time for the dawn of the whales. In 2023, Daniel Kraus made waves across the literary world with Whalefall, a gripping survival thriller about a diver trapped inside a whale. The novel became both a critical and commercial sensation, and now 20th Century Studios is bringing its claustrophobic terror to the big screen.
The film follows Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams), a young diver exploring California’s Central Coast who suddenly finds himself caught in a brutal battle between nature’s most formidable creatures. After inadvertently swimming into a life-or-death struggle between a sperm whale and a giant octopus, Jay is swallowed whole and trapped inside the whale’s stomach, with his oxygen supply running dangerously low. Sounds like a banger, right?
If this sounds like your thing, 20th Century Studios has you covered. Today, the studio has dropped the first trailer for the film, and it delivers everything you could hope for in a survival thriller. Featuring breathtaking underwater vistas and some truly awe-inspiring creature sequences, the footage offers an enticing glimpse of the film’s high stakes. Hit play on the trailer below and prepare for a pulse-pounding journey into the deep.
SYNOPSIS
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.
CAST & CREW
The film, which is directed by Brian Duffield and features a screenplay by Brian Duffield & Daniel Kraus based on the book by Daniel Kraus by the same name, stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd. The producers are Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum, with Doug Merrifield, Richard Abate, Will Rowbotham serving as executive producers.
RELEASE
What a phenomenal first trailer. Daniel Kraus’ novel was a gripping, edge-of-your-seat survival story that delivered on every level, and the big-screen adaptation looks poised to raise the stakes even further. From its stunning underwater cinematography and intense suspense to its emotionally poignant story, Whalefall appears to have all the ingredients of a truly unforgettable thriller.
Whether Brian Duffield can fully capture the magic of Daniel Kraus’ novel remains to be seen, but the early signs are incredibly promising. Based on this first trailer, Whalefall is shaping up to be one of the standout releases of the early winter season. With its bold premise, stunning visuals, and emotionally charged story, it already feels like a must-see thriller. Needless to say, it’s firmly on our watchlist, and we can’t wait to see how it fares on the big screen.
Whalefall opens exclusively in cinemas on October 16.
Are you a fan of the trailer? Let us know in the chat below.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
