Whalefall opens 16 October with Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin in whale survival story

A young diver searching for his father's remains is swallowed by a whale in Whalefall, released in theatres by 20th Century Studios on 16 October 2026, according to Deadline.

He has an hour of oxygen to find a way out. That countdown drives the film.

The film is based on Daniel Kraus' 2023 novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Brian Duffield, with Duffield and Kraus credited as screenwriters, Deadline reported.

Austin Abrams plays Jay, the diver. Josh Brolin plays Mitt, Jay's late father, who appears in flashback and memory.

The cast also includes Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd. The film is rated PG-13, a United States rating that advises parental guidance for viewers under 13.

The story is organised as a search and a survival puzzle. Jay dives in the Pacific Ocean to find the remains of Mitt, who took his own life a year earlier amid a terminal illness. After Jay is devoured, he must work through the whale's body with limited air.

What makes this stand out is the mix of family drama and confined survival. Early trade coverage described the project as The Martian meets 127 Hours, shorthand for a problem-solving survival story in a tight space, according to Deadline.

The film comes from 20th Century and Imagine Entertainment, the production company behind the project, according to Deadline. The trailer teases a fraught father-son story in which Abrams' diver gets swallowed, Deadline reported.

Behind the camera, Aaron Morton served as cinematographer, the person in charge of camera and lighting. Ramsey Avery was the production designer, in charge of the physical look of sets. The production filmed in California.

Kraus is a New York Times bestselling author. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, according to the author's website.