An interesting actor and director team-up here.
Brendan Fraser will be starring in The Whale, the next film from director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Mother!). The picture is to be an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s award-winning 2012 play of the same name, with Hunter writing the screenplay adaptation.
It’s certainly an interesting-sounding story, and one that could stir up some controversy in this ultra-sensitive climate. Here’s the play’s plot description, thanks to Playwright Horizons:
On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a six hundred pound recluse 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. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, ‘The Whale’ tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.
“Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labor of love for me,” Hunter said in a statement to Deadline, the outlet that broke the news.
“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.”
The film could very well be a push back into the spotlight for Fraser, who was a household name in the late ’90s/early 2000s with films like The Mummy franchise, George of the Jungle, and Bedazzled. He also put in some solid performances in a few critically acclaimed dramas around that period, such as Gods and Monsters and The Quiet American. Perhaps Aronofsky could provide Fraser with an award-worthy comeback, like Aronofsky’s The Wrestler did – at least temporarily – for Mickey Rourke, earning him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
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