Brendan Fraser will soon return to the big screen with The Whale, the latest film from Darren Aronofsky, so here’s everything we know, from the release date and trailer, to the cast, plot, reviews and more.
Fraser is one of the world’s most beloved stars. He took a break from acting for a few years after he was allegedly sexually assaulted by a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, believing he had been blacklisted from the industry.
After a GQ profile in 2018, detailing his accusations and personal fallout, he began to resurface. He became a fan favorite in Doom Patrol, and starred alongside a cast of Soderbergh pranks in No Sudden Move.
Later this year, he will star in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, giving an Oscar-winning performance. Here’s everything we know about the movie, including the release date, trailer, cast, and plot.
The Whale release date: When is it coming out?
The Whale will be released in the United States on December 9 of this year. It will be available to view in theaters.
The film’s UK release date is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, but it will likely be around the same time as it is distributed via A24.
The Whale trailer: Is there a trailer?
Unfortunately, There is no trailer for The Whale at the time of this writing.. We will update this space when it is posted online.
So far, all we’ve seen of the film is two images: a first-look image of Fraser’s character; and an image of Sadie Sink’s character peeking out of a door.
As the film is set to be released in the coming months and is also enjoying a wave of hype after the Venice Film Festival, one can look forward to an imminent trailer.
The cast of Whale: Who’s in it?
The Whale is directed by Brendan Fraser, who plays Charlie, while Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink plays his daughter Ellie.
Including Fraser and Sink, This is the known cast of La Ballena:
- Brendan Fraser as Charlie
- Sadie Sink as Charlie’s daughter Ellie
- Hong Chau as Charlie’s nurse Liz.
- Samantha Morton as Charlie’s ex-wife Mary
- Ty Simpkins as Thomas
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Fraser said that Aronofsky “wanted to get an actor back on stage…and I wanted to get back on stage.”
“If there is no risk, why bother? I want to learn from the people I’m working with at this point in my career,” she continued.
“We’re in a piece of cinema, real cinema,” says Brendan Fraser in Venice, where his comeback effort, Darren Aronofsky’s THE WHALE, officially opens tonight. pic.twitter.com/xvIJg3oGZJ
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) September 4, 2022
“I’ve had so much variety, a lot of ups and downs, so what interests me, in the second half of my time doing this, is feeling like I’m contributing to the craft and learning from it.
“This is an excellent opportunity. I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable. I wanted to know what he was capable of.”
As for Sink, now one of the most in-demand stars in the industry after Stranger Things season 4, both Fraser and Aronofsky were not short of praise. “Being around someone so young and in control of his craft and prepared and professional, I was always blown away, as was, I think, Brendan,” the director said.
Fraser added, “I had a ringside seat to see this little girl win the game ball every day she worked.”
The plot of the whale: what is it about?
According to A24, this is the official synopsis: “From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a lonely English teacher living with severe obesity and trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Starring Brendan Fraser and based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter.”
Aronofsky is best known for directing Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Mother.
The Whale Reviews: What Are Critics Saying?
Following the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, The Whale landed at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes from 18 reviews.
Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave it five stars, describing it as a “sensational film of rare compassion”.
Leila Latif of IndieWire wrote, “For Fraser, The Whale is a confident leap toward the movie star status she deserves.”
On the downside, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called the film “an intimidating invitation to cry,” while The Wrap’s Ben Croll wrote: “Most of the fatalism comes from a heavy-handed style that sees this closed world like a closed circuit, a place that figurative characters come and express what they represent”.
We will update this article with more announcements.
