Brendan Fraser To Play 500-Lbs. Gay Man In Movie Adaptation Of ‘The Whale’

Brendan Fraser will star in Darren Aronofsky‘s movie adaptation of the the award winning play, The Whale. 

Fraser will play the main character, Charlie, a 600 pound man in his 40s who teaches writing classes. The play takes place in Charlie’s Idaho apartment, and Charlie is slowly eating himself to death to cope with the death of his partner. The plot follows him as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter, who he had not seen since he abandoned his family for his gay lover, 15 years earlier.

The play was written by Samuel D. Hunter and won a Drama Desk Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Plan and a GLAAD Media Award and was praised by critics at the New York Times. Hunter will write the screenplay based off of his original play.

Hunter said in a statement that adapting his play into a screenplay has been a “labor of love.”

“This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film,” said Hunter.

Aronofsky will direct the movie, his first directing project since the movie Mother! in 2017, which starred Jennifer Lawrence.

Fraser’s previous credits include Cliff Steele on the TV show Doom Patrol and Rick O’Connell in The Mummy.