A diver, a dead father, and a sperm whale with room to spare. Whalefall, 20th Century Studios’ adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s novel, opens in cinemas on Friday 16 October, according to the studio’s official film page. It is a single-location survival story with a cast larger than its premise suggests.
Watch the trailer
What it is about
Jay Gardiner, played by Austin Abrams, goes diving off California’s Central Coast after his father’s death to look for his father’s remains. A sperm whale swallows him. Trapped with roughly an hour of oxygen, Jay realises that the lessons his father taught him may be the way out, per the studio synopsis.
The whale is the hook, but the film’s cast suggests the story stays with the family on the surface. Josh Brolin plays the father, with Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd rounding out the credited cast, according to 20th Century Studios.
Who made it
Brian Duffield directs from a screenplay he wrote with Kraus, based on Kraus’s book, per the studio. Producers are Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody and Allan Mandelbaum.
The film is rated PG-13 in the United States, according to 20th Century Studios, and is listed under survival and thriller. A runtime has not been published on the studio page.
What to know before you go
The studio page frames the film as a survival thriller and nothing more elaborate, and the premise does most of the explaining: the hour inside the whale, and the father-and-son history that sent a grieving young man diving alone. The credited cast, with Brolin as the father and Shue, Ortiz, Levy and Rudd around him, points to a film that spends time on the family as well as the set piece underwater.
Two practical notes from the studio listing. The PG-13 rating places it within reach of teenagers, which matters for a Friday opening in mid-October with no school holiday attached. And the absence of a published runtime is unusual this close to release; cinema chains will list it with showtimes, so check the ticket page rather than assume a tight 90 minutes.
For readers keeping a list of films to watch at home later, the honest answer is that nothing has been announced. 20th Century Studios’ page lists the theatrical date only. Streaming windows for the studio’s recent releases have varied, so The Remote will add the digital and streaming dates to the title page in The Rerun as soon as the studio publishes them.
Why this weekend
The 16 October frame is a busy one. Alongside Whalefall, Universal’s Focus Features label opens its new Sense and Sensibility in Canada the same day, per Universal Pictures Canada, and Paramount+ launches the fourth season of Tulsa King on Friday as well.
The official trailer, released by 20th Century Studios on its YouTube channel, can be watched above.
Where to watch
- Whalefall: in theatres, Friday 16 October, per 20th Century Studios (the studio lists the US date; confirm Canadian showtimes with local theatres)
- Streaming: no date announced. The studio page lists only the theatrical release; check back on our movies directory for digital and streaming dates when they are confirmed
- Also in cinemas this weekend: Sense and Sensibility (Focus Features), Canada and US, 16 October
- Staying in instead: new on streaming in Canada this month
Sources
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