Entertainment
Whalefall director calls sperm whale the hero not Jaws
Hindustan Times··6d ago
Director Brian Duffield said Whalefall, where a teenager is swallowed by a sperm whale, is the opposite of Jaws. He said the whale is the hero. The film follows Daniel Kraus' 2023 novel and premiered in London on Monday. Josh Brolin hoped viewers would hug their families. Duffield said whale sets made the shoot the hardest work many crew faced.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Audiences see large practical whale interiors with CGI used only to enhance them.
- Kraus co-wrote the screenplay after experts said a sperm whale could theoretically swallow a human.
- The story follows Jay diving off California's Monastery Beach seeking his late father's remains.
What's Happening
- Austin Abrams plays Jay in the survival thriller.
- Brolin plays Jay's father in flashbacks exploring grief.
- Duffield told Reuters whale experts welcomed the film at the premiere.
Inside the whale sets
- Kraus traced the idea to a viral video of kayakers inside a whale's mouth.
- Duffield called sitting inside the whale set an incredibly dangerous stunt for Abrams.
- Brolin said he sobbed at the end of Kraus' book before joining the project.
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