What New York Comic Con's 'Whalefall' Reveal Added: A Rotating Whale Set, Real Marine Science, and a Father-Son Story

Twentieth Century Studios used New York Comic Con to give fans a closer look at Whalefall, the survival thriller opening in theaters on October 16. The preview did more than recap the premise, it showed how the film is leaning on whale research, practical effects and a deeply personal father-son relationship to bring Daniel Kraus's novel to the screen.

What the NYCC preview revealed before the film's release

The Comic Con panel, moderated by Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, brought together author and co-writer Daniel Kraus, director and co-writer Brian Duffield, and stars Josh Brolin and Austin Abrams. Their focus was the same balance the film is promising on screen: survival mechanics, emotional stakes and the challenge of staging a story set largely inside a sperm whale.

Based on Kraus's novel, Whalefall centers on Jay Gardiner, played by Abrams, who dives off California's Central Coast to search for the remains of his late father, Mitt, played by Brolin. A massive sperm whale swallows him, leaving Jay trapped with about an hour of oxygen and forced to rely on lessons his father taught him. Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd are also in the cast.

Kraus said the idea began with viral videos showing divers and kayakers briefly ending up in humpback whales' mouths. After asking whale scientists whether a person could actually be swallowed and survive, he was told a sperm whale was the only species with a throat large enough. He then spent about three months researching whales, with the goal of making the story scientifically and biologically grounded rather than treating it like a fantasy.

How the movie built a whale from the inside out

One of the more unusual details shared at the panel was how early designs for the whale's stomach kept coming out too large. Kraus responded by rolling up a yoga mat, placing a Barbie doll inside and photographing it to show the shape he had in mind.

Duffield said he and production designer Ramsey Avery studied endoscopies and autopsies with Weta Workshop in New Zealand as they worked out the whale's interior. The result was a 360 degree set that could roll, with camera and lighting equipment placed inside the build with Abrams. The setup kept evolving during filming as the crew solved one problem at a time.

Abrams said the role stood out partly because the filmmakers wanted in person auditions, which he noted had become unusual after self tapes became common during the pandemic. One late audition even took place inside a tent meant to suggest the whale's stomach. He also had to show that he could swim laps. During production, he spent about two months inside the set, performing scenes that included screaming, crying and vomiting on camera.

Why the story's family angle mattered to the cast and filmmakers

The panel also made clear that the movie's emotional center is not the whale itself, but the connection between Jay and Mitt. Abrams described them as two people who care for each other deeply but keep failing to meet each other, with Jay being more sensitive than Mitt fully recognizes.

Brolin said reading the book while shooting Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars in Italy affected him strongly, and he added that Abrams already being attached helped him commit to the project. The two had previously worked together on Gangster Squad and Weapons. Brolin also pointed to a key boat scene, shot at 3 a.m., in which Mitt tries to create a final meaningful moment with his son while drinking, only to push him further away.

Duffield said that scene is the one he most wants audiences to see because it begins gently, then breaks down fast before the relationship slowly rebuilds across the film. For him, that emotional thread was personal. He said he first read the novel while holding his newborn son and finished it thinking it could help make him a better father.