Swallowed Whole: 'Whalefall' Trailer Teases a 60-Minute Fight for Survival

A dive to find a father's remains turns into a race against oxygen in the ultimate locked-room escape—except this locked room happens to be inside a sperm whale. 20th Century Studios has dropped the official trailer for "Whalefall," and the premise is as blunt as it is brutal: diver Jay Gardiner (played by Austin Abrams) descends off the coast of central California in search of his late father's remains, only to be swallowed whole by a massive sperm whale along the way. With just sixty minutes of oxygen left in his tank, the only thing he has to rely on is the survival knowledge his father taught him before he died.

The father is played by Josh Brolin, which means the entire survival logic of the film hinges on a conversation that's already too late to have—the son must piece together everything his father left behind while trapped inside the whale's belly, just to have a chance at getting out alive. That relationship makes "Whalefall" more than just a claustrophobic survival thriller; it carries an undercurrent of unspoken family emotion.

Directing is Brian Duffield, whose previous work "No One Will Save You" similarly leaned into minimalist characters and high-tension survival storytelling. This time, he co-writes the script with original author Daniel Kraus, adapting Kraus's novel of the same name published in 2023. The cast also includes Elisabeth Shue, Jane Levy, John Ortiz, and Emily Rudd.

It's a busy fall for Austin Abrams—he'll also appear in Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" adaptation, hitting theaters in September. "Whalefall" is set to open in North American theaters on October 16, 2026.