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Whalefall Director Brian Duffield and Star Austin Abrams Discuss Film's Production and Ending

The director and lead actor explain how the thriller was made, including using a whale's stomach set and adapting the source material.

12 publishers · 27 articles · first seen 13 Oct 2026 · updated 16d ago

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The story so far

12 publishers have covered this in 27 articles since 13 Oct 2026. The New York Times published first, on 13 October at 09:01 UTC; Variety followed 30h 59m later. The most recent article, from IndieWire, appeared on 21 October at 22:30 UTC.

Outlets reporting it: The New York Times (major outlet), Variety (major outlet), The Hollywood Reporter (major outlet), News Feed (major outlet), Nature (major outlet), IndieWire, Consequence, The A.V. Club, New Scientist, Deadline, Rolling Stone, NME.

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How it unfolded

Every source in the order it published.

  1. The New York TimesAustin Abrams, the Star of “Whalefall” and “Resident Evil,” Is Pretty Chill
  2. Variety‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Gets Swallowed by a Whale in an Unintentionally Preposterous Thriller — a Tale of Human Perseverance and Mammalian Stomach Lining
  3. The Hollywood Reporter‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Struggles to Escape the Digestive Tract of a Whopper Mammal in a Dumb Thriller That Takes Itself Way Too Seriously
  4. IndieWire‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Battles a Bellyful of Daddy Issues in Brutal Survival Thriller
  5. News FeedWhalefall — jaunty update of Jonah needed a little less blubber
  6. ConsequenceThe Very Freaky Whalefall Confirms That Getting Swallowed by a Whale Is No Fun: Review
  7. The A.V. ClubWhalefall sees a scuba diver swallowed whole by his daddy issues
  8. The Hollywood ReporterThe Whale at the Center of ‘Whalefall’ is “the Good Guy,” Actually
  9. The Hollywood Reporter‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield Talks Book Changes, Test Screening Challenges and How Those ‘Alien’ Rumors Started
  10. New ScientistWhalefall review: Worth watching for the bits inside a sperm whale
  11. Show 17 later sources
    1. The New York Times‘Whalefall’ Review: In the Belly of the Beast
    2. IndieWireBrian Duffield Made a Realistic Movie About Surviving Inside a Sperm Whale
    3. Variety‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield on Using Josh Brolin’s Heartbeat For the Whale: ‘Make It Feel as Personal as Possible’
    4. The A.V. ClubWhalefall restores the lost art of the movie tagline
    5. The Hollywood ReporterAustin Abrams and Josh Brolin Debut ‘Whalefall,’ ‘Clayface’ Arrives and This Week’s Best Events
    6. The Hollywood ReporterJosh Brolin Talks the Personal Side of ‘Whalefall’ and the “Undeniable” Script for ‘Sicario 3’
    7. Deadline‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Wrestles With Grief, Toxic Masculinity & Grotesque Whale Innards In Emotionally Gutsy Body Horror
    8. The Hollywood ReporterAustin Abrams Still Won’t Admit Which Was Tougher to Shoot, ‘Whalefall’ or ‘Resident Evil’
    9. DeadlineHow ‘Whalefall’s Director & Author Wove The Closure Of A Father-Son Relationship Into A Survival Tale
    10. VarietyThe Impossible ‘Whalefall’: Director Brian Duffield Wanted a Challenge, So He Discovered a Way to Crush Austin Abrams in a Whale Stomach That Left Onlookers ‘Baffled’
    11. VarietyHow ‘Whalefall’ Production Designer Ramsey Avery Built the Creature’s Stomach Using Mattress Foam and Silicone Bits
    12. Rolling StoneAustin Abrams Has Had an Autumn From Hell. It’s Made Him a Star
    13. The A.V. ClubAVQ&A: What kind of pressure cooker should Austin Abrams find himself in next?
    14. NatureCan a human survive in a whale’s belly? The science behind the thriller Whalefall
    15. NMEHideo Kojima says ‘Whalefall’ ruined “eating squid” for him
    16. The Hollywood Reporter‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield and Star Austin Abrams Resisted the New Ending Before Embracing It
    17. IndieWireWhen VFX and Practical Sets Work Together, Sometimes You Invent New Cameras

Sources

Every article we clustered into this story. Headlines link to the publisher.

  1. ‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield and Star Austin Abrams Resisted the New Ending Before Embracing It The Hollywood Reporter ·
  2. Can a human survive in a whale’s belly? The science behind the thriller Whalefall Nature ·
  3. How ‘Whalefall’ Production Designer Ramsey Avery Built the Creature’s Stomach Using Mattress Foam and Silicone Bits Variety ·
  4. The Impossible ‘Whalefall’: Director Brian Duffield Wanted a Challenge, So He Discovered a Way to Crush Austin Abrams in a Whale Stomach That Left Onlookers ‘Baffled’ Variety ·
  5. Austin Abrams Still Won’t Admit Which Was Tougher to Shoot, ‘Whalefall’ or ‘Resident Evil’ The Hollywood Reporter ·
  6. Josh Brolin Talks the Personal Side of ‘Whalefall’ and the “Undeniable” Script for ‘Sicario 3’ The Hollywood Reporter ·
Show 21 more sources
  1. Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin Debut ‘Whalefall,’ ‘Clayface’ Arrives and This Week’s Best Events The Hollywood Reporter ·
  2. ‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield on Using Josh Brolin’s Heartbeat For the Whale: ‘Make It Feel as Personal as Possible’ Variety ·
  3. ‘Whalefall’ Review: In the Belly of the Beast The New York Times ·
  4. ‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield Talks Book Changes, Test Screening Challenges and How Those ‘Alien’ Rumors Started The Hollywood Reporter ·
  5. The Whale at the Center of ‘Whalefall’ is “the Good Guy,” Actually The Hollywood Reporter ·
  6. Whalefall — jaunty update of Jonah needed a little less blubber News Feed ·
  7. ‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Gets Swallowed by a Whale in an Unintentionally Preposterous Thriller — a Tale of Human Perseverance and Mammalian Stomach Lining Variety ·
  8. ‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Struggles to Escape the Digestive Tract of a Whopper Mammal in a Dumb Thriller That Takes Itself Way Too Seriously The Hollywood Reporter ·
  9. Austin Abrams, the Star of “Whalefall” and “Resident Evil,” Is Pretty Chill The New York Times ·
  10. When VFX and Practical Sets Work Together, Sometimes You Invent New Cameras IndieWire
  11. Hideo Kojima says ‘Whalefall’ ruined “eating squid” for him NME
  12. AVQ&A: What kind of pressure cooker should Austin Abrams find himself in next? The A.V. Club
  13. Austin Abrams Has Had an Autumn From Hell. It’s Made Him a Star Rolling Stone
  14. How ‘Whalefall’s Director & Author Wove The Closure Of A Father-Son Relationship Into A Survival Tale Deadline
  15. ‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Wrestles With Grief, Toxic Masculinity & Grotesque Whale Innards In Emotionally Gutsy Body Horror Deadline
  16. Whalefall restores the lost art of the movie tagline The A.V. Club
  17. Brian Duffield Made a Realistic Movie About Surviving Inside a Sperm Whale IndieWire
  18. Whalefall review: Worth watching for the bits inside a sperm whale New Scientist
  19. Whalefall sees a scuba diver swallowed whole by his daddy issues The A.V. Club
  20. The Very Freaky Whalefall Confirms That Getting Swallowed by a Whale Is No Fun: Review Consequence
  21. ‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams Battles a Bellyful of Daddy Issues in Brutal Survival Thriller IndieWire

In this story

  • Brian Duffield
  • Austin Abrams
  • Josh Brolin
  • Whalefall
  • 20th Century Studios
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