The first Whalefall reactions have surfaced on social media (via FearHQ.com), and while there are some expected grumbles, all signs point to this being a win for Love and Monsters and No One Will Save You filmmaker Brian Duffield.
This also comes after lead star Austin Abrams received rave reviews for his work in the recent Resident Evil reboot. The actor's star is on the rise, and it sounds like he's firmly establishing himself as a bankable leading man in Hollywood.
While one critic calls the movie "inexplicably boring," another hails it as "fantastically entertaining," and the reactions for the most part are more positive than negative. Another calls it a "new claustrophobic classic."
In Whalefall, following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (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 realise that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
"To bring Daniel Kraus' book to life, our cast and crew spent a summer inside a whale inside a sound stage in Studio City, California," Duffield previously said of the movie. "I can’t wait for audiences to see the performances and hard work everyone put in to tell this thrilling and emotional story in a dark, cozy theater this October."
Whalefall, which is directed by Duffield from a screenplay by him and Daniel Kraus (based on the book of the same name by Kraus), stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, and Emily Rudd.
The producers are Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum, with Doug Merrifield, Richard Abate, and Will Rowbotham serving as executive producers.
Whalefall, the epic and emotional survival thriller based on the acclaimed novel about one young man’s encounter with a massive sperm whale, opens exclusively in theaters on October 16.