Josh Brolin in talks to star opposite Austin Abrams in Brian Duffield’s epic scuba survival thriller Whalefall

Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water, Josh Brolin is in talks to star... The post Josh Brolin in talks to star opposite Austin Abrams in Brian Duffield’s epic scuba survival thriller Whalefall appeared first on JoBlo.

Mar 27, 2025 - 21:23

Josh Brolin in talks to star opposite Austin Abrams in Brian Duffield’s epic scuba survival thriller Whalefall

Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water, Josh Brolin is in talks to star opposite Austin Abrams (Wolfs) in the Brian Duffield-directed (No One Will Save You, Cocaine Bear, Spontaneous) adaptation of the Daniel Krauss novel Whalefall.

Described as The Martian meets 127 Hours, the scientifically accurate story focuses on a scuba diver searching for his deceased father’s remains, only to get swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale with only one hour to escape before oxygen runs out. While struggling to survive, the young diver discovers a new reason to live in the most unlikely place.

Here’s a synopsis for Krauss’s novel courtesy of Amazon:

Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.

The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.

Josh Brolin is extraordinarily busy. He has three other projects in the works beyond Whalefall, including the third chapter of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, starring Daniel Craig, Cailee Spaeny, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and more. He also plays Dan Killian in Edgar Wright’s upcoming version of The Running Man alongside Glenn Poweel, Katy O’Brian, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Emila Jones, and David Zayas. Finally, he’s starring in Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars with Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce.

Who do you think Josh Brolin plays in Brian Duffield’s adaptation of Whalefall? I assume he plays Jay’s father in flashbacks. We’ll need to wait and see. Are you excited about Whalefall? The concept sounds intriguing. I want to read the book, but I’ve got many other things I’m into now.

The post Josh Brolin in talks to star opposite Austin Abrams in Brian Duffield’s epic scuba survival thriller Whalefall appeared first on JoBlo.