Whalefall (2026) — Swallowed by a Whale: Release Date, Cast & Trailer
Sixty minutes of air. One impossible escape. Whalefall drops a young diver into the most claustrophobic survival scenario ever put on screen.
Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) heads out off the California coast to recover what remains of his late father, Mitt (Josh Brolin). The dive goes wrong in the worst way imaginable: a giant sperm whale swallows him whole, along with the giant squid it was hunting. Trapped inside a living, moving cave with about an hour of oxygen in his tank, Jay has to think, climb, and fight his way out — and the only guide he has is the memory of his father’s hard lessons. Directed by Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You, Spontaneous) from his screenplay with novelist Daniel Kraus, adapting Kraus’s acclaimed 2023 novel, the film plays out almost in real time and rests almost entirely on Abrams’s performance. It is Now in Theaters.
Details
- Director / Writer: Brian Duffield (screenplay with Daniel Kraus).
- Based on: Whalefall (2023 novel) by Daniel Kraus.
- Cast: Austin Abrams (Jay Gardiner), Josh Brolin (Mitt Gardiner), Elisabeth Shue (Zara Gardiner), John Ortiz (Hewey), Jane Levy (Eva Gardiner), Emily Rudd (Nan Gardiner).
- Studio: 20th Century Studios / Imagine Entertainment (with Jurassic Party Productions).
- Producers: Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum.
- Release history: World premiere London Oct 5, 2026 → US theatrical Oct 16, 2026 (20th Century Studios); international rollout from Oct 14–15 in several markets; Sitges screening Oct 14.
- Where to watch: Now in Theaters only (no same-day streaming; no streaming date announced yet).
- Runtime: 106 min.
- Rated: PG-13 (peril, violent content, bloody images, some strong language, thematic content).
- Genre: Survival thriller / Adventure / Drama.
- Language: English.
- IMDb: Whalefall on IMDb
Cast
Austin Abrams carries the film as Jay Gardiner, with Josh Brolin as his late father Mitt and Elisabeth Shue as Zara Gardiner.
Trailer
The official trailer is embed-restricted on YouTube, so watch it directly here:
