Studio Thriller Whalefall Enters Theaters With Survival Story
Brian Duffield’s adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s novel brings an underwater survival premise to the October release calendar.
By Ledger Staff · Originally reported · Posted
20th Century Studios lists October 16, 2026, as the theatrical release date for Whalefall. Directed by Brian Duffield, the survival thriller adapts Daniel Kraus’s novel of the same name. Austin Abrams plays Jay Gardiner, a young man who dives off California’s central coast to search for his late father’s remains.
After a sperm whale swallows him, Jay has only an hour of oxygen and must draw on lessons from his father to escape. Josh Brolin plays the father, and Duffield and Kraus share screenplay credit. The studio’s listing identifies the film as a survival thriller rather than reporting its opening-weekend box office.
