Who’s ready for the Brendanaissance? That’s right, friends; Brendan Fraser is coming back in a big way for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. A24 released the first look at Fraser for the upcoming drama, in which he plays a 600-pound middle-aged man struggling to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The Whale is Aronofsky’s first directorial effort since 2017’s Mother!, a film that received mixed reviews from critics and fans. In addition to the image of Fraser in the movie, we know that The Whale will premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.
Here’s an official still from A24 and Venice:
In the new image, we see Fraser as his 600-pound character, Charlie. It looks like Charlie is listening intently to someone while contemplating how to respond with sincerity. That character could be his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), with whom he’s trying to rekindle his relationship. While shocking, it’s worth noting that Fraser is wearing a costume here, and his performance is earning early raves, with many saying its a potentially Oscar-worthy role. Let’s not forget how Aronofsky brought Mickey Rourke back to prominence with The Wrestler. Between this and his role in Batgirl, it’s a good time to be Brendan Fraser!
Starring alongside Fraser in The Whale is Stranger Things breakout Sadie Sink, alongside Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins. Aronofsky is directing with cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Don’t Worry Darling) at his side. Libatique has shot every Aronofsky movie to date, except The Wrestler, in which Maryse Alberti serves as cinematographer.
The Whale premieres at Venice on September 2nd, and should be out in cinemas this fall, and off this image we may get a trailer sooner rather than later.