Josh Brolin leads Whalefall as Sicario 3 moves ahead
Josh Brolin is back in cinemas on Oct. 16 as Mitt Gardiner in Whalefall, a survival story set largely inside a whale.
Brolin plays the father of Jay Gardiner, played by Austin Abrams, in the film directed by Brian Duffield, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film adapts Daniel Kraus's novel Whalefall, with the screenplay credited to Kraus and Duffield. Brolin told the outlet he read the book before agreeing to take the role.
The family around them is filled out by Elisabeth Shue as Zara, Jay's mother, with Jane Levy as Eva and Emily Rudd as Nan, Jay's older sisters. For Brolin and Shue, it is a reunion more than two decades after Hollow Man.
The production found an unusual way to link father and son. Duffield recorded Brolin's heartbeat before filming and played it for Abrams during his two months working inside whale-stomach sets. That recording was later enhanced in post-production to serve as the whale's heartbeat in the finished film.
The release lands as Brolin's other long-running franchise is moving again. He will return as CIA officer Matt Graver in Sicario 3, opposite Benicio del Toro as Alejandro Gillick and Emily Blunt as Kate Macer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Deadline reported on Oct. 5 that the third film was a go, with all three actors expected to return.
The road has been long. Brolin said in May 2022 that the project had already been through numerous iterations. In November 2025 he told the Reporter that it seemed to be right around the corner. He had once been more doubtful, saying in November 2025 coverage, "I don't think there's going to be a Sicario 3."
The new film is moving forward without a script by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the first two instalments, with Steven Knight set to write instead, according to Fox News. Brolin described the returning cast's work as "untouchable" as the franchise continues.
What makes this stand out for audiences is the contrast. One film keeps its cast confined and listening for a heartbeat. The other brings a familiar ensemble back to a wide-open border story that has been recast, rewritten and revived several times over.
