‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield Talks Book Changes, Test Screening Challenges and How Those ‘Alien’ Rumors Started
Brian Duffield’s new film, *Whalefall*, follows a scuba diver swallowed by a sperm whale, and draws on his wider career in screenwriting and directing. He says his early success came after Skydance bought his screenplay *Your Bridesmaid Is a Bitch*, and that a difficult experience on *Jane Got a Gun* helped shape the supportive film sets he later wanted to lead.
Duffield made his directorial debut with *Spontaneous* in 2020, whose story of a mysterious outbreak resonated with audiences during the pandemic despite a low-profile release. His next film, *No One Will Save You*, was a nearly dialogue-free alien-invasion story released on Hulu in 2023; the SAG-AFTRA strike limited lead actor Kaitlyn Dever’s ability to promote it. The article also previews discussion of changes from the *Whalefall* book, test-screening challenges and rumours involving *Alien*.
- *Whalefall* centres on a diver swallowed by a sperm whale.
- Duffield says a turbulent production shaped his approach to directing.
- His previous films found audiences despite release and promotion challenges.
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Brian Duffield is a screenwriter and director whose films include Spontaneous and No One Will Save You. He began building his career after Skydance bought one of his screenplays, and says a difficult experience working on Jane Got a Gun influenced the kind of supportive film sets he wanted to create.
Spontaneous tells the story of a mysterious outbreak, while No One Will Save You depicts an alien invasion with very little dialogue. The latter was released during the 2023 actors’ strike, which restricted lead actor Kaitlyn Dever’s ability to promote it.
Whalefall is based on a book about a scuba diver trapped inside a sperm whale. Duffield’s work across different kinds of stories provides context for how he approaches adapting a novel and making films that rely on unusual situations.
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