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When movie lovers think of the most intense thrillers set at sea, the best shark movies — such as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws or the fact-based horror movie, Open Water — might come to mind. However, admirers of classic literature might have a softer spot for stories in which a human protagonist comes into conflict with an even grander beast: the whale. You may have likely heard of the biblical story of Jonah or author Herman Melville’s epic, influential 1851 book, Moby-Dick, but are you familiar with a more recent novel called Whalefall?
If not, you surely will soon, because the 2023 book has been optioned for a movie that is currently in the works at Disney’s 20th Century Studios. So, exactly what sort of conflict does the human protagonist of this story face when he encounters the large mammal, and who is bringing this story to life for the big screen? We shall reveal that and other important details in our following guide to everything that we know so far about the upcoming film, Whalefall.
What Is The Whalefall Release Date?
For the time being, there has been no confirmed release date for Whalefall yet. The film has only just recently gone into development, as reported in an exclusive article run by Deadline in March 2024.
Thus, it could be a considerably lengthy wait — but, hopefully, not a whale-sized wait — before we even get an announcement of when the film is set to hit theaters. However, anyone who is familiar with the story behind this upcoming film should have no issue keeping their anticipation afloat.
Based On A Bestselling Thriller Novel By Daniel Kraus
Inspired by the aforementioned book of the same name, Whalefall (according to Simon & Schuster’s official description) tells the story of Jay Gardiner — a scuba diver on a personal mission to retrieve the remains of his father, who took his own life just a year earlier, in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, his search is interrupted when he comes across a fight between a giant squid and a sperm whale and, amid the commotion, he finds himself trapped inside the 80-foot, sixty-ton whale’s stomach. Running low on oxygen, Gardiner struggles to escape his gargantuan captor and defeat his own inner demons before it is too late.
Published by MTV Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), the acclaimed bestseller — which Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn called “astonishingly great” — comes from the mind of author Daniel Kraus. He made his debut as a writer in 2009 with The Monster Variations — the first of more coming-of-age horror stories, such as Scowler — and would eventually dabble in writing comic books of a scary variety, such as the apocalyptic Year Zero and a special holiday-themed one shot inspired by the classic horror anthology movie, Creepshow, from 2023. Kraus also has his name on a few literary series, including the two-part The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch and The Teddies Saga.
Brian Duffield Is Directing Whalefall
At the helm of Whalefall is someone who has experience telling stories about young loners quarreling with fearsome creatures and their own dark pasts. Brian Duffield — the mastermind behind one of the best horror movies on Hulu, 2023’s No One Will Save You — personally announced he was directing the film with a post to his Instagram account.
Before writing and directing the masterfully unique alien invasion movie, Duffield made his directorial debut with another, comparatively lighter novel adaptation: the romantic, coming-of-age fantasy comedy, Spontaneous, from 2020. Prior to, he was known primarily as a writer of other horror-comedy movies like The Babysitter or Love and Monsters and even more earnest thrillers like 2020’s Underwater and the Natalie Portman-led Western, Jane Got a Gun, from 2015. He is also the developer of Netflix’s animated King Kong spin-off series, Skull Island.
Duffield And Kraus Are Writing The Film Together
Daniel Kraus also took to Instagram to share that he is involved in the development of his own novel’s adaptation as he is collaborating with Duffield on the script for Whalefall. This marks the first time the author’s has been so heavily involved in a screen adaptation of his own work, but not his first collaboration with a noted horror filmmaker.
He was also an associate producer on the Best Picture Oscar winner, The Shape of Water, for which he collaborated on the novelization with Guillermo del Toro. Later, he and the Academy Award winner co-authored the book Trollhunters, which became a Netflix original animated series. Kraus also had the honor of completing The Living Dead — a novel that was started by modern zombie movies inventor George A. Romero before his passing.
Ron Howard And Brian Grazer Produce
At the moment, the most recognizable names attached to Whalefall are actually the producers: Academy Award-winning duo Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. According a report by Deadline, the long-time producing partners’ company, Imagine Entertainment, had previously bought the rights to adapt Kraus’ novel before 20th Century Studios won the bid for the theatrical distribution rights.
Curiously enough, this will not be the first time that Howard and Grazer have worked on a movie about a whale as Howard directed 2015’s In the Heart of the Sea, which was based on the true event that inspired Moby-Dick. Additionally, it is not their first time collaborating on an intense story of survival, as one of Ron Howard’s best movies (which Grazer also produced) is the 1995 space movie classic, Apollo 13.
With the talent involved in Whalefall, this thriller could end up being a whale of a hit. Be sure to check back for more updates on the development of this upcoming adventure.