Austin Abrams finds himself facing an extraordinary fight for survival in the new trailer for Whalefall, the upcoming survival thriller from 20th Century Studios.
Directed by Brian Duffield, whose previous credits include No One Will Save You and Underwater, the film takes the traditional survival movie to an extreme new location — the inside of a massive sperm whale.
Abrams stars as Jay Gardiner, a scuba diver who heads into the waters off California’s Central Coast following the death of his father, hoping to recover his remains. His mission takes a terrifying turn when Jay is swallowed alive by an enormous whale.
Trapped inside the creature, Jay discovers that he has only around an hour of oxygen remaining. With seemingly no way out, he must rely on his instincts and the survival lessons taught to him by his late father, Mitt Gardiner, played by Josh Brolin.
The trailer gives audiences a tense look at Jay’s increasingly desperate situation as he attempts to find a way back to the surface. Flashbacks to his father provide an emotional dimension to the otherwise terrifying predicament, with Mitt reminding his son that survival ultimately comes down to refusing to give up.
The unusual premise also gives Whalefall a distinctly claustrophobic edge. Rather than simply battling the elements in the open ocean, Jay is fighting against time from inside one of the largest creatures on Earth.
Based on Daniel Kraus’ 2023 novel of the same name, the film has assembled an impressive supporting cast alongside Abrams and Brolin. Elisabeth Shue, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd and John Ortiz are among the actors appearing in the movie.
Duffield co-wrote the screenplay with Kraus, with Brian Grazer, Duffield, Jeb Brody and Allan Mandelbaum producing the project.
With its combination of survival thriller, family drama and high-concept aquatic suspense, Whalefall looks set to deliver a very different kind of cinematic survival story.
Whalefall is scheduled to arrive exclusively in cinemas on October 16, 2026.
