Darren Aronofsky (The source, Requiem for a dream) is joining A24 for the first time in a new film called The whale.
The film will be an adaptation of the playwright Samuel D. Hunterthe 2012 play of the same name, with Hunter on board to write the script. Brendan Fraser (The mom, Doom Patrol) is attached to the star.
Discussing Film first broke the news about Aronofsky’s next film, and Deadline later revealed that Fraser would star. Here is a description of the story:
On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a two-hundred-pound inmate hides in his apartment, eating to death. Desperate to reconnect with his distant daughter, he extends his hand to her, only to find a cruelly sharp and extremely unhappy teenager. Big-hearted and extremely funny, The Whale tells the story of the last chance for a man of redemption and to find beauty in the most unexpected places.
“Adapting my play into a script was a real labor of love for me,” said Hunter in a statement. “This story is deeply personal and I am very grateful to have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren since I saw Requiem for a dream when I was a freshman in college writing my first plays, and I am very grateful that he is bringing his unique talent and vision to this film. “
Fraser spent the late 1990s and early 2000s as one of the next big players in the film industry, but his body started to break down due to injuries sustained during the performance. He also claims that he was sexually assaulted, which led to him being imprisoned. But in recent years, he has slowly re-established himself as a fascinating screen presence, working on programs like The case, Trust inand Doom Patrol, and score a role in Steven Soderbergh’s next film. The whale will be one of your most visible film roles in the past ten years.
Aronofsky directed The fighter and Black Swan in 2008 and 2010, respectively, and that film duo – which won Oscars attention by their leading actors – represents the last time he directed something remotely commercial. From 2014 Noah was an unconventional narrative of the biblical story of the ancient flood, while that of 2017 mother! (who absolutely rules, by the way) was the equivalent of being thrown into the bottom of a pool of chaos as we followed the character of Jennifer Lawrence through the most horrible house party in the world. Aronofsky’s idea of making a film about a 600-pound inmate who is eating himself to death would be wildly anti-commercial in the eyes of Hollywood, but regardless of how it ends, I’m happy that the director is still suffering a lot from this stage of your career.
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