After teasing what’s to come with an incredible first-look image and all the festival circuit hype, A24’s adaptation of The Whale starring Brendan Fraser finally has a trailer.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky – who hasn’t helmed a feature-length project since the polarising Mother! (2017) starring Jennifer Lawrence – as part of his much-celebrated professional comeback, Brendan Fraser takes on the role of a reclusive English teacher named Charlie.
Charlie struggles with a compulsive eating disorder and attempts to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter Elle, portrayed by Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink. For context, they grew apart after the former abandoned his family for his gay lover (who, after all that drama, would later die).
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Racked with pain and guilt, Charlie eats his feelings and balloons all the way up to 600 pounds. And already, there’s talk of Fraser being at the forefront of this year’s Oscars race for Best Actor.
“Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring? People are amazing,” Fraser’s Charlie can be heard saying in The Whale trailer.
Not a whole lot to go off at this stage if you’re only learning about it today, sure, but perhaps the early reviews will stoke the flames of excitement…
“The Whale wouldn’t be as effective if it wasn’t for the incredible lead performance given by Brendan Fraser… and I don’t think anyone could have played Charlie the way Fraser did.”
“You’ll gaze dumbfounded at the screen for 1 hour 57 minutes. Pulled into an emotional black hole that offers no easy exit. That’s an incredible, mind-numbing feat.”
“At times, it feels like you’re watching a stage play, but Fraser’s performance is one for the ages.”
“Fraser, so good, takes what could be a joke, a flat tragedy, or even a lecture about weight and imbues it with gorgeous humanity.”
“The Brenaissance is here.”
The screen heartthrob of the 90s/early-00s has been steadily returning to the mainstream, namely as Nathan Fowler in Condor, Cliff Steele/Robotman in Doom Patrol; along with stints in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, and yet another detour into the superhero world with the controversially shelved Batgirl (Fraser portrayed the villain Garfield Lynns/Firefly).
What we’ve seen and heard from The Mummy actor about his latest endeavour, however, promises to be very different.
“It’s gonna be like something you haven’t seen before,” teased Brendan Fraser.
“That’s really all I can tell you. The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome.”
“This is certainly far removed from anything I’ve ever done but not to be coy… I do know it’s going to make a lasting impression.”
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The Whale has been adapted by MacArthur-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter, who penned the critically-acclaimed play of the same name all the way back in 2012; it won both the Drama Desk Award and Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding play when it debuted Off-Broadway.
Brendan Fraser and Sadie Sink are joined by Hong Chau as Liz, Samantha Morton as Mary, Ty Simpkins as Thomas, and Sathya Sridharan as an undisclosed character.
The cinematography has been accomplished by seasoned Aronofsky collaborator Matthew Libatique – who’s had a hand in pretty much everything the former has done from Pi to Black Swan; in addition to the likes of Inside Man, Iron Man, Straight Out Of Compton, and A Star Is Born – while the music can be credited to Rob Simonsen (500 Days of Summer, Moneyball, The Spectacular Now).
A24’s The Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser has an American theatrical release date of December 9th, 2022 (Australian release date TBA). Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this one.
Check out the first trailer for The Whale above.
