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Director Brian Duffield Challenges Austin Abrams in 'Whalefall'
Confirmed
In Short: Director Brian Duffield and actor Austin Abrams bring Daniel Kraus' novel 'Whalefall' to life, with Abrams trapped in a whale's stomach.
Director Brian Duffield and actor Austin Abrams are bringing Daniel Kraus' novel 'Whalefall' to the big screen, with Abrams starring as Jay Gardiner, a character trapped inside a sperm whale's stomach.
The premise of the film is based on Kraus' 2023 novel, which was inspired by conversations with whale experts and author Mary Roach.
The production team faced numerous challenges, including the creation of a 12-foot-tall, 18-foot-long whale head by StudioArt & Technology.
Duffield emphasized the importance of making the audience connect with the whale, despite the gross and claustrophobic setting.
Abrams' role required significant physicality, as he was often tossed around inside the whale's stomach by the crew.
The film's set was a 360-degree environment, with the crew working around a single camera angle to capture the confined space.
Duffield noted that the production was a collaborative effort, involving experts and a dedicated crew to bring the unique premise to life.
Abrams, known for his roles in films like 'Resident Evil,' has faced criticism from his family for the frequent peril his characters face.
Despite the challenges, Abrams found the experience rewarding, noting the physical demands and the unique set design.
The film, set to release on October 16, aims to showcase human perseverance and the mysterious nature of sperm whales.
Duffield's previous work includes 'Spontaneous' and 'No One Will Save You,' both of which showcased his idiosyncratic directing style.
What this adds
Abrams' role in 'Whalefall' continues his trend of starring in physically demanding roles.
The film's set design and production challenges highlight the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking.
Background
Actor Austin Abrams stars in 'Whalefall' after leading 'Resident Evil,' a film that earned him stellar reviews.
What's confirmed
- Director Brian Duffield and actor Austin Abrams are bringing Daniel Kraus' novel 'Whalefall' to the big screen, with Abrams starring as Jay Gardiner, a character trapped inside a sperm whale's stomach.
- The premise of the film is based on Kraus' 2023 novel, which was inspired by conversations with whale experts and author Mary Roach.
- The production team faced numerous challenges, including the creation of a 12-foot-tall, 18-foot-long whale head by StudioArt & Technology.
- Duffield emphasized the importance of making the audience connect with the whale, despite the gross and claustrophobic setting.
- Abrams' role required significant physicality, as he was often tossed around inside the whale's stomach by the crew.
- The film's set was a 360-degree environment, with the crew working around a single camera angle to capture the confined space.
- Duffield noted that the production was a collaborative effort, involving experts and a dedicated crew to bring the unique premise to life.
- Abrams, known for his roles in films like 'Resident Evil,' has faced criticism from his family for the frequent peril his characters face.
- Despite the challenges, Abrams found the experience rewarding, noting the physical demands and the unique set design.
- The film, set to release on October 16, aims to showcase human perseverance and the mysterious nature of sperm whales.
- Duffield's previous work includes 'Spontaneous' and 'No One Will Save You,' both of which showcased his idiosyncratic directing style.
What's still developing
- Just as Austin Abrams ’ Jay Gardiner finds himself in quite the harrowing predicament trapped in a whale’s stomach after a tangle with a squid, the cast, crew and filmmakers of Whalefall also found themselves in the tricky situation of bringing the premise of Daniel Kraus’ novel to the big screen.
- Following an email to author friend Mary Roach, author of Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (2013), and correspondence with three whale experts she recommended, Kraus had found the “high concept” hook for the book, which hit shelves in 2023.
- “How do you fall in love with a character through its guts, basically. It’s definitely gross, but what are the ways that we can fall in love with this animal, because Austin is in such a unique situation, and I think there’s something interesting about his character, who is very fond of of animals and nature,” Duffield said.
- “It takes a village to build a whale, and I think it takes a really great village to survive it. And that’s been really one of the most gratifying parts of [production],” Duffield said when Deadline visited the set of the movie at Radford Studios in L.A. in September, during an early tank scene where Abrams encountered the whale for the first time.
- “So we would take neoprene samples to New Zealand, where we built the stomachs, to show them under the lights, against the whale skin, to see what colors show up.” Cameras and lenses were broken “nonstop” during filming; the crew ultimately constructed scenes around the one spot the camera could actually fit into the cramped space and worked backwards from that vantage point.
- Duffield revealed that Asbell had indeed invited him to work on an Alien script – but by the sounds of things, it was more a polish, or perhaps as simple as providing some notes on changes, rather than a full-blown project.
- “I’m not directing.” This isn’t to say that the rumours weren’t entirely inaccurate, though.
- But now that I’ve seen Whalefall, it seems that the only thing worse than actually being inside a whale’s stomach is pretending to be inside one.
- “[The ability to move my limbs] was the nice part about Resident Evil. But they both have their perks and [pitfalls],” he tells THR in support of Whalefall ’s Oct. 16 theatrical release.
- Abrams, who generally avoids sharing too much about himself on a personal level, does reveal that his family is a little irked by how often his characters die in movies, a pattern that began with his first film, 2011’s Ticking Clock.
- Yet Abrams still won’t kvetch about being crammed into a tiny whale-stomach set with a camera crew, while a half-dozen crew members surrounding the practical gut, wielding a gimbal, tossed him around like a wet rag doll.
- Duffield understood the vision early on, as he reached out to novelist Daniel Kraus on social media when he first heard the premise of the novel of the same name, before it was even published.