First Photos Of ‘The Whale’ Starring Brendan Fraser As A 600-lb Recluse Released

The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser and directed by Darren Aronofsky, had film stills revealed and is joining the lineup of the Venice Film Festival. Fraser will be playing a man suffering from a compulsive eating disorder who is attempting to bond with his teenage daughter, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.

The film is Aronofsky’s latest feature since the 2018 film mother!, a visually arresting biblical allegory horror film that split critics and fans upon its release. The Whale was adapted from the 2012 play of the same name written by Samuel D. Hunter. The film seems to have a pared-back cast with other announced actors being Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Ty Simpkins.

Fraser talked about shooting the part last year. “The wardrobe and costume was extensively cumbersome,” he said. “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.”

Fraser experienced a career decline in the mid-2000s after an expensive divorce from his ex-wife, and an alleged sexual assault Fraser said he suffered at the hands of Phillip Berk, then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

He said that industry retaliation at the hands of Berk, as well as depression from the incident and the divorce, caused his slouch in acting roles, but he has been back in a big way the past few years.

He is part of the main cast of the series Doom Patrol on HBO Max, and along with his Aronofsky role, Fraser also collaborated with the legendary director Martin Scorsese in his new film Killers of the Flower Moon, which is currently in post-production.

The Whale will debut at Venice, but a theatrical run for the film has yet to be announced. Distribution of the film is being handled by the well-regarded entertainment production and distribution company A24.