Brendan Fraser to play 600-pound recluse in Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky

Last updated: January 12, 2021 7:31 AM

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Brendan Fraser Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC and GFI - BGC Office - Arrivals

It’s been three years since Darren Aronofsky directed a film (2017 psychological horror pic mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem), and now he’s found his next feature project in the form of an adaptation of The Whale, which has set Brendan Fraser to star in the lead role, according to Deadline.

Brendan Fraser The Cinema Society Screening Of "Extraordinary Measures" — Brendan Fraser at the School of Visual Arts Theater on January 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Getty Images)

Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s acclaimed 2012 play, the story is set on the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, and centers on a six-hundred-pound recluse as he hides away in his apartment eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen.

“Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labor of love for me,” Hunter said in a statement. “This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film.”

Brendan Fraser 2014 A+E Networks Upfront - Arrivals — Brendan Fraser attends the 2014 A+E Networks Upfront on May 8, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Getty Images)

Hunter will adapt the play, which won the Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play and a GLAAD Media Award, for the screen while Aronofsky is set to direct and co-produce via his Protozoa Pictures alongside A24.