The Brendanaissance has officially commenced.
A24 on Tuesday revealed the first image of Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film The Whale, for which the actor transformed into a 600-pound man.
The movie stars Fraser as a middle-aged man who struggles to reconnect with his teenage daughter, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. It's a big acting comeback for Fraser, who hasn't had many movie roles of major significance since the end of the Mummy trilogy in 2008, though he recently starred on DC's Doom Patrol.
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Fraser, who wore make-up and prosthetics for The Whale, told Newsweek last year that "the wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome," and "this is certainly far removed from anything I've ever done." He also told Unilad, "It's gonna be like something you haven't seen before."
Though critics haven't yet seen The Whale, it's expected to be a possible 2023 Oscar contender, and pundits already have Fraser down as an early Best Actor frontrunner, with other possible candidates including Hugh Jackman for The Son and Austin Butler for Elvis. After The Whale, Fraser also has a role in the next Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon, as well as the DC movie Batgirl.
The Whale is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which begins next month, though its wide release hasn't been announced.
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