Darren Aronofsky has been one of my favorite filmmakers ever since a friend introduced me to Requiem for a Dream in high school and pretty much changed my life. Though I haven’t loved all of his movies as much as others (Noah quickly comes to mind), I’ve genuinely vibed with what he’s put out. Coming off the high that was the oddly enjoyable Caught Stealing, I was excited to see what the acclaimed and visionary director had coming up next. Then I saw the trailer for his new AI-generated Revolutionary War series, On This Day… 1776.

Wait, is this a joke? Is this Super Bowl commercial for Google’s DeepMind AI division? No, I’m afraid not. Now I’m concerned. The more I read about it, the more concerned I get. I’m not saying I’m going full John Connor over here waging war on Skynet or something, but there could be some major ramifications for art and pop culture if this takes off.

I Thought It Was A Joke, Or A Commentary On Those AI Slop Videos

Spend enough time on Instagram, TikTok, or any other major social media platform, and you’ll be bombarded with countless AI-generated historical videos depicting life in ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, or the Industrial Revolution. At first, I thought this was going to be some biting commentary on those videos or at least the societal and environmental concerns of AI use in today’s world.

I mean, Aronofsky has shown time and time again over the years that he doesn’t pull punches when he’s commenting on something, and honestly, I thought On This Day… 1776 was going to be that. Instead, it’s a real series about the Revolutionary War and the founding fathers depicted with AI-generated visuals and voice-acting from SAG-AFTRA union actors. A lot is going on here.

What If This Takes Off? What Does That Mean For The Industry?

One of my biggest problems with this project, besides the aforementioned environmental and societal concerns, is the fact that having a big name like Darren Aronofsky pushing this type of content is legitimizing it. I’m honestly afraid people will see this, see Aronofsky’s name attached to it, and think that maybe this type of series is okay. It’s not. I have a problem with random content creators making this type of stuff, but that pales in comparison to the impact of one of the most well-respected filmmakers of our time doing it.

I just have to ask… what does this mean for the industry if it takes off and people accept it? It’s great that the director and Time Studios, which is distributing each episode, hired SAG-AFTRA union actors to voice our founding fathers, but this feels like the industry is co-signing on the premise when it could potentially put film crews and animators out of work. Call me old-fashioned, say I’m afraid of AI tech, and think I’m getting worked up over nothing. I just don’t have a good feeling about this.

I very well could be overthinking this situation and freaking myself out about the ramifications of AI technology in the entertainment industry, but I just can't shake this feeling. Now I have to see if the show is any good...

Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors, and yet, until this year’s Caught Stealing, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a single one of his movies. Let me explain.

You see, I watch movies for multiple reasons. Sometimes, I watch them just to turn my brain off, such as flicks like Batman & Robin, which I actually love because it’s so stupid. And the same goes for movies that aren’t so maligned, such as Big Trouble in Little China, which I’ve probably rewatched more than any other movie because it’s just super enjoyable.

However, Aronosky doesn’t make “enjoyable” movies. Instead, he makes deep, introspective, thought-provoking films, like Noah and The Fountain. That said, Caught Stealing, which you can currently watch with your Netflix subscription, is supremely enjoyable. Here’s why.

I Have Never Found Aronofsky's Movies To Be Fun, But Caught Stealing Is.

Do you want to know my favorite Darren Aronofsky movie? It’s mother!, which, even after all these years, I still can’t stop thinking about it. Now, keep this in mind: when I first watched mother! in the theater, I nearly walked out, which is something that I never do. However, there’s a scene in the film that involves a baby that distressed me so much that I was literally seconds away from getting up and going home. Again, this is my favorite Darren Aronosky movie.

Is mother! fun? God no. But is it thought-provoking? Hell yes. So was Pi, so was Requiem for a Dream, and so was The Whale (even though I wasn’t a big fan of that one, Brendan Fraser notwithstanding). Hell, even Aronosky’s more “commercial” movies like The Wrestler and Black Swan weren’t really “enjoyable,” per se, which is why I was always both interested, but also secretly happy that we never got his fabled Batman movie.

However, that’s because I didn’t think Aronofsky had it in him. However, after watching Caught Stealing, I’m kind of sad that we never got his take on Batman, because it might have been interesting. In this film, Austin Butler plays a down-on-his-luck bartender named Henry “Hank” Thompson, and his luck gets even worse when his neighbor, punk enthusiast Russ Miner (played by an unrecognizable Matt Smith) leaves the country to see his moribund father, only for some Russian thugs to pay Hank a visit. The film goes bananas from there.

This Is Also The Only Movie Of Aronofsky’s That I Would Call “Propulsive”

I wouldn’t blame you if you called Aronofsky’s movies “slow.” In fact, I like that most of his films take their time. You really get to sit and stew with them. This is actually something that I come to his movies for, and it’s one of the reasons why I think I skipped Caught Stealing when it came out, because I didn’t know what to make of it from the trailer. Honestly, it looked more like something that Edgar Wright might do (no disrespect to Wright, by the way, because I like his movies, too… they’re enjoyable).

Even so, Caught Stealing is not slow in the slightest. In fact, I actually found myself struggling to keep up with just how fast it was moving. It reminds me of how Paul Thomas Anderson recently made a thriller in One Battle After Another, which I initially thought would be out of his wheelhouse, but now I want another one from him. What makes Caught Stealing move so fast is that Hank constantly gets bombarded with more and more problems.

First, we meet the Russians, who beat Hank so badly that he has to have a kidney removed. Then, we meet a police officer (Regina King), who might have mixed intentions. Next, a Puerto Rican tough guy named Colorado (Benito Martínez Ocasio), who actually might not be so tough. Then we meet two Hasidic Jews (played by Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), who might be the scariest of them all (and the funniest).

All of this is to say that the movie never slows down, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It's Also Darkly Funny

Ok, here’s something else I’m unfamiliar with when it comes to Aronosky: Caught Stealing is actually really funny! Now, I wouldn’t call it an all-out comedy, as it’s still really dark (there are characters dying left and right here, and some of them we really like!). However, this film likely wouldn’t work if it didn’t have a good sense of humor, and it does, which breaks up the tension.

I especially like Ocasio's part, as he’s always trying to look as sharp as possible, but also as tough as possible. It’s a humorous dynamic. There’s also a minor character played by Action Bronson named Amtrak who says maybe only two or three lines, but they’re all golden. I actually admire that Aronofsky was able to give all of the various actors in this film memorable moments, but more on that in a few.

The funniest characters, though, are definitely the Drucker brothers, i.e. Schreiber and D’Onofrio's characters. They wax philosophical about how cruel the world is, but then give each other a hug, wishing each other great success, before going into a party and shooting up the place. Again, it’s darkly funny, but in a way that I found myself chuckling on my couch at every moment that was meant to be humorous.

None of this would work unless all of the actors didn’t do such an amazing job.

The Actors All Seem Game For The Ride

It’s kind of weird how Austin Butler is the protagonist of this film, but I’ve barely even mentioned him. That’s only because he acts more as a vehicle for all of the events that occur. He actually has a pretty sad backstory, and Butler does a convincing job of making us feel all of his guilt, regret, and denial. He’s just a really good actor, and was definitely the best choice for the role.

Zoe Kravitz plays his concerned romantic interest, who is considering taking their relationship to the next level, but she’s hesitant because he’s a mess. You love her character the moment you meet her. Regina King is great as a police officer who seems nurturing… until she isn’t. And Matt Smith is phenomenal as a punk with the accent and everything. He isn’t in the film long enough, if you ask me.

As mentioned, Schreiber and D’Onofrio steal the movie, and have all of the best moments in the film. I almost wish they had their own movie, as two machine gun-toting Hasidic killers feels like a film that writes itself. And honestly, I love all of the characters, but here’s the thing: as much as I enjoyed everything about this movie, I don’t want this to be Aronofsky’s future.

It was a great departure from what he’s done in the past, and when looking back at his filmography, I’m sure it will sit highly on many lists ranking his movies. That said, I’d like if Aronofsky went back to his old style again after this. One time was fun, but that’s enough.

But, what do you think? Have you watched Caught Stealing yet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

There are some movies that, for better or worse, stick with us forever. Requiem for a Dream — a raw and traumatic exploration of addiction that happens to be one of the best movies of the 2000s — is definitely one of those. The psychological drama that was adapted from the equally devastating book is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and after reading Jared Leto’s tribute, my pupils are dilating over how fast time has flown.

Requiem for a Dream is one of those films that you remember exactly where you were the first time you watched it (and for many, that first time is the only time). Jared Leto, who stars as Harry Goldfarb, posted a touching video on Instagram to mark the film’s quarter-century milestone, as you can see below:

The clip shows Harry and his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) high out of their minds, expressing their love for one another as they lay head-to-head. The camera spins as it zooms out of the shot, showing the couple’s literal downward spiral. Jared Leto says in the caption that he knew the Darren Aronofsky’s film was going to have an impact, writing:

Jared Leto isn’t the only one who has remained affected by the movie for 25 years. His co-star Marlon Wayans, who played his best friend and fellow heroin addict/dealer Tyrone, has also spoken recently about Requiem for a Dream, which is just one of the sexually explicit movies you can stream on Peacock.

Marlon Wayans noted the 25th anniversary of the film while promoting his latest psychological nightmare, HIM, which he says isn’t nearly as damaging as the 2000 book-to-screen adaptation. In fact, Wayans says we can count him as one of the one-and-dones, as he says he will never watch Requiem for a Dream again.

I understand this point of view, especially Marlon Wayans’ suggestion that it might be the most powerful “Don’t Do Drugs” PSA ever created. However, personally, I have partaken in multiple rewatches of this film, and I was shocked to realize that 25 years had passed.

That’s a long time for as often as this film still gets quoted in my household. Ellen Burstyn’s reading of, “I’m old!” from her epic monologue as Harry’s mom Sara Goldfarb has gotten particularly heavy use as the years have passed, as well as Harry’s preceding accusation: “You on uppahs?” We may also be known to break into a Tappy Tibbons chant anytime our kids mention juice, and I fear they may think “Join Us In Creating Excellence” is a more universal acronym than it is.

It certainly says something about a movie when it can still elicit a reaction in people who may have only seen it once, decades ago, proving Jared Leto’s instincts were definitely right when he saw something special in the Requiem for a Dream script. If you want to dive back into that nightmarish world in honor of its 25th anniversary, the movie is available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Caught Stealing. If you’ve yet to watch Darren Aronofsky’s 2025 movie, please exercise extreme caution.

Like a fair amount of people, I went and saw Caught Stealing during its opening weekend, and it’s safe to say I had a rip-roaring good time watching Austin Butler’s movie about a guy being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the critics have pointed out (including CinemaBlend’s own review), Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, while violent and dark at times, is a more light-hearted and fun experience compared to his previous films.

However, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all the similarities between Caught Stealing and Aronofsky’s directorial debut, Pi, a short and frantic black-and-white film that kicked off his stellar career back in 1998. During the movie, I kept trying to figure out if this was just a random coincidence or something more intentional, and I think I may have an answer.

Between Similar Characters, Situations, And Themes, These Two Movies Have A Lot In Common

Though Caught Stealing and Pi have two completely different stories – one is about a reclusive mathematician uncovering the key to crack the stock market and the unspeakable name of God while the other is about a bartender caught between rival gangs (including Hasidic Jews) looking for stolen cash – these movies have a lot in common. Both center on two broken men unknowingly getting caught up in something bigger than themselves, but it goes deeper than that.

In Caught Stealing and Pi, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) and Max Cohen (Sean Gullette), respectively, find themselves encountering a similar motley crew of mysterious and violent criminals and authority figures who want to take advantage of them for their own personal gain. Then there are shared themes about religion, the evil of money, obsession, and freedom that are explored in great detail throughout both Aronofsky’s first film and his latest feature.

Caught Stealing And Pi Are Both Set In The Same General Area At Around The Same Time

Though the dates are ambiguous in Pi, the movie came out in July 1998, which is a couple of months before the events of Caught Stealing and its great mid-credits sequence, according to the Baseball Reference entry for the game Hank watches on TV after escaping New York City. Not only are both movies set around the same time, but they also cover a lot of the same ground. This got me thinking, is it possible that Hank and Pi’s Max crossed paths at some point before everything went down in their respective journeys?

In Pi, Max’s apartment is located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, which is essentially right next to the Lower East Side, where Hank spends much of his time in Caught Stealing. However, there’s an even greater chance that the two could have crossed paths when you consider the fact that Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), Hank’s girlfriend, lived in Chinatown as well (though her apartment is much nicer than Max’s cramped and disheveled living space).

In Fact, Both Movies Also Feature Coney Island In Pivotal Scenes

Another big similarity I noticed is the fact that both films have pivotal, character-driven scenes set in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, specifically along the water. At first, I thought it was a coincidence or staple (Aronofsky shot a great scene in Requiem for a Dream in the same area), but then I came across the director’s appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he talked about the similarities:

As Aronofsky mentioned, both movies have incredible scenes where the main character goes to Coney Island and sits on the edge of the beach while they ponder what they’re going to do next before everything is over and done with. The tonal, structural, and emotional similarities led me to believe that this was in some way an intentional choice.

It Turns Out The Caught Stealing Production Designer Hid The Pi Symbol Throughout The Movie

I also stumbled upon a short interview Aronofsky conducted with IMDb, where he revealed that the Caught Stealing production designer hid the Pi symbol throughout the movie as an homage to what he created nearly 30 years ago. I don’t know if he’s serious or not, but he issued a challenge for fans to find the correct number for a special prize. When this joins the list of new movies streaming in the next few months, this is going to be a fun Easter egg hunt.

The Pi symbols hidden throughout the movie are also a nod to the guerrilla marketing campaign Aronofsky and his friends carried out to spread word about his directorial debut back in 1998.

Honestly, It Feels Like Darren Aronofsky Has Come Full Circle With His Latest Film

Aronofsky has made some truly profound movies over the years, whether we’re talking about one-and-done experiences like Requiem for a Dream or mind-bending spectacles like Mother. Though Caught Stealing is tonally different than Pi and what the then-up-and-coming filmmaker was trying to achieve with his directorial debut, I can’t help but feel like he’s come full circle with his latest effort.

Back in his old stomping grounds for a movie set in a time that obviously meant a lot to him, it’s easy to see Aronofsky’s nostalgia on display in the new movie. It not only feels like a tribute to his youth, but also ‘90s New York City; the place is now very different compared to what it was in the era when he put up all those stickers.

Caught Stealing is showing in theaters nationwide.

We may be moving towards the latter part of the 2025 movie schedule, but there are still plenty of great titles being released at this point in the year. Caught Stealing, the latest feature from director Darren Aronofsky, is one of the most recent films to hit cinemas. Thus far, the crime thriller has captured critics’ attention, and it’s also earned a look from Hugh Jackman. That was evidenced by the fact that Jackman posted some words of support for Aronofsky and co. amid the film’s opening weekend.

The Caught Stealing premiere in New York drew out a few notable faces this past week, and among them was Hugh Jackman. It was there that he not only posed for photos but also mixed it up with Darren Aronofsky and the cast. Jackman even posed for photos with the film’s lead actor, Austin Butler and, as a video shared by THR showed, the Australian actor had kind words for Butler’s work. Sometime later, Jackman took to his Instagram story to share a photo of himself that was taken at the premiere and to share a message:

The man who was initially doubted for the role of Wolverine has built a reputation for being one of the kindest stars in show business, and this post certainly tracks with that. I honestly never get tired of seeing artists support each other, and this is a sweet example of that. Also, I guess it probably shouldn’t be all that surprising that Jackman attended that premiere and praised the film. That’s because of his connection to the director.

Darren Aronofsky previously collaborated with Hugh Jackman on the 2006 film The Fountain. The science-fiction, romance film that involves three different stories involving varied characters played by Jackman and Rachel Weisz. While the movie bombed at the box office and received mixed reviews, it has garnered something of a cult following. Now, after seeing Jackman shout out Aronofsky, a part of me is thinking about the possibility of them reuniting for another film at some point in the future.

At this point, though, a lot of eyes seem to be on Caught Stealing, which was positively reviewed by CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg. The movie centers around a former baseball player (Austin Butler) who finds himself unexpectedly thrust into the criminal underworld in 1990s New York after agreeing to watch a neighbor’s cat. Also in the movie are Zoë Kravitz (with whom Butler was competitive amid a scene), a mohawk-sporting Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio (Bad Bunny), Regina King and Carol Kane.

So it pretty much goes without saying that Darren Aronofsky assembled quite the ensemble for his newest production, and it’s wonderful to see that it’s being well received. The icing on the cake for me, however, is the sight of Hugh Jackman sharing some praise for the film. In some cases, the ties that bind some creatives can be quite strong, and it seems Jackman and Aronofsky still have a solid bond.

Check out Caught Stealing, which is playing in theaters nationwide now. Fans who want to check out The Fountain can also do so by renting or buying it on digital platforms.

All the SPOILERS are ahead.

When it comes to great psychological thrillers, Darren Aronofsky’s movies will always be in that conversation because the filmmaker is such a master at the genre. This year, Black Swan is turning fifteen years old, and it’s a great time to rewatch the movie, especially for how much its messages about perfectionism hold up. I know I recently did, and I want to break down Nina’s journey and what leads to its tragic ending that leads to the star ballerina’s death.

Black Swan became a big hit despite its small budget when it came out in the winter of 2010 and became an award season darling, earning Natalie Portman her Oscar. Fifteen years later, as Aronofsky has a new film among 2025 movie releases with Caught Stealing, I think Black Swan is very much worth your time to revisit, especially for how the filmmaker takes the audience through Nina’s intense psychological journey as she plays the Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake. Let’s get into my reading of the ending:

The Meaning Behind The Black Swan Ending Is Actually Explained Upfront

When Aronofsky spoke about his inspiration for Black Swan to USA Today while promoting the movie back in 2010, he said he became interested in the ballet world after his sister studied it herself and he was exposed to tons of productions of Swan Lake. He was initially interested in the idea of being “haunted by a double” since the production itself is about the dual roles of a White Swan and Black Swan.

And, within the first ten minutes of the movie, when the artistic director at Nina’s company arrives to practice to announce his production of Swan Lake, it’s spelled out right there the reasoning behind Nina’s ultimate death in the movie. As Vincent Cassel’s Thomas says:

Thomas also calls the production of Swan Lake a “visceral and real” version of the classic ballet, and that’s in turn exactly what the movie Black Swan is. However, Nina’s storyline is not revolved around a prince, it’s her obsessive dream to be the best at her profession, and the fear that she’ll become like her mother (played by Barbara Hershey), who was once a ballet dancer too, but never got the chance to fully reach her potential after getting pregnant with her.

Thomas's Search For Perfection Is A Losing Battle For His Students

The way Nina is able to win the role of the Swan Queen in Swan Lake early in the movie is by convincing Thomas that she can play both parts of the White and Black Swan. Nina is determined to do just about anything to win Thomas’s approval, but as shown through Winona Ryder’s character of Beth, it’s a losing battle.

Beth was the star ballerina before Nina, who Thomas said was once “perfect” but during Nina’s run-ins with Beth throughout the film, we see that her pursuit of perfection has left her on a dark path. While she was once the apple of his eye and his “little princess,” ultimately he kicked her off the company, seemingly due to her age, and moved on to find a new star. As Black Swan continues, we see how Beth’s life is on a downward spiral after leaving the company, from dealing with an accident that leaves her without the ability to walk (assumedly due to her being drunk at the party that announces Nina's role in Swan Lake), to revealing her tendency to self harm when Nina visits her in the hospital.

Beth symbolizes the ugly path Nina is going on led by Thomas's pushing his students to be “perfect” in order to be worthy of greatness. While Beth should serve as a cautionary tale for Nina, it seems she's been fueled by perfectionism since she was a child by her mother's own toxic background in ballet, and she only follows in her footsteps.

Lily Isn't The Villain, But She Does Represent Nina's Darkest Fears

That brings us to Mila Kunis’s character of Lily, who embodies the traits of the Black Swan that Nina is having trouble portraying in the ballet. In one scene that occurs not long after Nina earns the role, Thomas points out how Lily has all the traits he’s looking for in the Black Swan, and this gets to Nina.

Now, Portman’s role is an unreliable narrator, who often has hallucinations and imagines things that turn out to be in her head throughout the film. In Nina’s eyes, Lily is out to get her role, but oftentimes when Lily appears the Black Swan version of Nina is close behind, which to me symbolizes what Lily really represents. I think Lily symbolizes Nina’s darkest fears of being replaced and not being “good enough” to achieve this perfectionism she’s obsessed with. While she’d like to believe that Lily is behind things, the perpetual reappearance of her seeing herself in Lily shows that the real enemy is herself.

The Black Swan Ending Reminds Us Perfection Is Impossible

That leads us to the ending of Black Swan, when Nina performs the ballet and finally embodies both roles. While starring in Swan Lake, Nina’s hallucinations have her stabbing Lily in order to finally become the Black Swan. However, as we later find out before the final scene of the play, Lily is perfectly fine and not bleeding out in her dressing room as she imagines she is. While we don’t see it happen literally, Nina stabbed herself with the shard of glass, effectively killing herself by the end of the show, much like the character she’s embodying jumping off the cliff and killing herself at the end of the tragic ballet.

As she dies, Nina is happy as she tells Thomas she “felt it” that she “was perfect” during the performance. Nina fully embraced the role of the Swan Queen he was obsessing over since getting the part, but I think her death shows how pursuing perfectionism is impossible. The only way she was able to achieve it was in her death, because as humans it’s just not in our nature to be without flaws.

Black Swan is truly such an excellent film that takes the classic ballet and spins it into a layered character study and solid reminder how putting too high expectations can be a version of self harm to ourselves.

The latest Austin Butler movie, Caught Stealing, hit the 2025 movie schedule this weekend, and it did something that I didn’t expect: it made me nostalgic. I am not, by nature, particularly nostalgic. In fact, all the throwbacks to Gen X culture lately have driven me a little nuts, even as a member of that generation. However, the new movie, directed by Darren Aronofsky, had me wistfully remembering my years living in the East Village, right around the time that Caught Steaming is set, 1998.

Alphabet City And Dive Bars

Bulter plays Hank Thompson, a former baseball player (with a nice butt) whose potential career in the pros was sidelined by a knee injury. Hank is working as a bartender in a very typical East Village dive in the late ‘90s. He’s clearly lost, drifting through his city life while remaining distant from the woman he’s dating, played by Zoe Kravitz. It was an existence I knew all too well as someone who moved to New York City in 1999, one year after the movie was set, and spent a lot of my time in the same kind of dive bars.

Eventually, I moved to the East Village from Midtown and lived a couple of blocks away from Avenue A. Alphabet City was still a little seedy, a little sketchy, but it was also on its way to what it is now, which is much cleaner, but much less exciting. Living down there wasn’t as expensive as it is today, but it wasn’t cheap, either. Finding bars that served cheap beer where I could befriend the bartender and score a free drink or two was important. Hank’s bar in Caught Stealing perfectly represents that kind of place. It’s like I already knew it well.

One Brief Scene Really Got Me

In one scene, Hank is seen walking along Avenue A and goes past where the original location of the legendary Kim’s Video was located near 6th Street. For the movie, Aronofsky recreated the iconic sign that hung above the entrance, and in one brief moment, summed up life in the East Village at the time.

Now, when I lived in the East Village, Kim’s had moved a couple of storefronts down from the original location, and the mini-chain had moved the bulk of its collection to what was its most iconic location, Kim’s Mondo on St. Mark’s Street, a few blocks away. The location I knew best, located at 85 Avenue A, was two doors down from where it’s seen in the movie. I used to drink in the basement at a bar called Route 85A. The bartender was a good friend, Michael Hogan, an actor who was most recently seen as the bartender, Mark, in Paradise, which you can watch with a Hulu subscription.

The reason it worked here for me is that nostalgia wasn’t the goal of the movie. That’s what I could use more of, not rehashing my youth with cheap shortcuts like so much of recent nostalgia.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Caught Stealing. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

Throughout Caught Stealing, Austin Butler's Hank Thompson makes a regular habit of calling his mom to make sure she know that he is ok, and in addition to being a sweet aspect of the movie that adds to Hank as a character, it also sets up an amazing cameo. While we never see who the protagonist is talking to on the other side of the line, the actress is revealed in the film's end credit sequence, and it turns out to be none other than the wonderful Laura Dern.

It's a terrific surprise at the end of Caught Stealing – but there is a wonderful bonus surprise to be discovered as well. It turns out that while they've never previously been in a movie or TV show together, Austin Butler and Laura Dern have been friends for years, and that helped lay the groundwork for the latter playing the former's mom in the new 2025 movie. CinemaBlend's Hannah Saulic asked about the special cameo while interviewing Darren Aronofsky earlier this month during the Los Angeles press day for the film, and he explained the past connection between the two actors:

It's perfect casting in all respects. In the movie, Hank has nobody closer to him in his life than his mom, even though she lives 3,000 miles away in California. They talk everyday and have a connection not only as mother and son but as die-hard fans of the San Francisco Giants. While Laura Dern is never shown while she is on the phone, the Caught Stealing mid-credits sequence sees her receive a package from her son in the mail that contains millions of dollars in cash.

After learning about the special connection between Austin Butler and the Jurassic Park star, Hannah followed up by asking the actor about the relationship when she had the chance to talk with him during the press day (where he was paired with co-star Zoë Kravitz), and he explained how she has been a wonderful part of his life in the last few years. Said Butler,

In recent years, Austin Butler has spoken about the fact that his mother passed away from cancer in 2014, when he was 23 years old, and it had an understandable emotional impact on him. In his time getting to know Laura Dern, he has found a special relationship, and he mentioned in our Caught Stealing interview that Dern even physically reminds him of his mom. He and Zoë Kravitz had a sweet back-and-forth about it, as captured in the video at the top of this article:

• Austin Butler: My mother used to always be told she looks like Laura Dern.
• Zoë Kravitz Really?
• Austin Butler: Yeah.
• Zoë Kravitz: Aww, man.
• Austin Butler: So when anybody would talk to my mom, they’d say, “You know, you look just like Laura Dern.”
• Zoë Kravitz: That’s crazy!
• Austin Butler: Isn't that wild?
• Zoë Kravitz: Yeah.
• Austin Butler: So all these years later, I got to actually tell that to Laura. And now she's like this, like, pseudo mom to me
• Zoë Kravitz: Aw, I love that.

It adds a terrific extra layer to what is already a great cameo in a super fun movie (as I detail in my Caught Stealing CinemaBlend review).

Adapted from the book of the same name by Charlie Huston and also starring Matt Smith, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Regina King, Griffin Dunne, Liev Schreiber, and Vincent D'Onofrio, Caught Stealing is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Few directors have messed with my mind more than Darren Aronofsky. From Requiem for a Dream to Mother!, we’ve gone to some dark places over the years. For his contribution to the 2025 movie calendar, however, the filmmaker may be going down a slightly different path with Caught Stealing. Critics have seen the crime thriller, which has Austin Butler dominating an overall impressive cast, and surprisingly, the word “scuzzy” comes up more than once.

Caught Stealing is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Charlie Huston (who also wrote the screenplay). At the center of the movie is Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a retired baseball player who finds himself in the middle of New York City’s criminal network in the 1990s. In CinemaBlend’s review of Caught Stealing, Eric Eisenberg says the movie teeters on being derivative but ultimately delivers a mystery that combines thrills and fun. He rates it 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing:

CinemaBlend’s critic also notes that the entire cast is having a lot of fun with their roles, but Austin Butler shines the brightest. That sentiment is shared by Rolling Stones’ David Fear, who praises the cast — particularly Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Drucker brothers — but this one is all about Butler proving that he is now a bona fide leading man. Fear continues:

Caryn James of THR calls Caught Stealing an “entertaining, twisty and ultimately bloody caper,” writing:

Peter Debruge of Variety is one of several critics who note how important New York City is as a backdrop to Hank’s story, accentuating the wide range of cultures and personalities that reside there. Debruge calls Caught Stealing a “scuzzy misfit of a movie,” saying maybe it’s not as much of a departure from his other works as it first appears. The critic continues:

It’s not a clean sweep, critics-wise, as IndieWire’s Kate Erbland gives the movie a C+, saying it’s a swing and a miss for this “scuzzy and off-kilter” crime thriller. The final act comes together as what Darren Aronofsky seemed to be attempting, but until then, it just doesn’t pop. Erbland says:

Overall, critics seem to like what Darren Aronofsky has done, and Austin Butler just continues to prove himself. It holds a Certified Fresh 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (an impressive 85% on the Popcornmeter). Could it lead to Oscar nods for the Caught Stealing cast or crew come awards season? Time will tell, and this movie is in theaters now.

My relationship with the works of Darren Aronofsky is much different than the relationships I have with all of my other favorite modern directors. I celebrate those latter filmmakers by buying all of their movies in various physical media formats and making a habit of rewatching them, but I’ve never been able to do that with Aronofsky. I’ve been fascinated by his talents ever since I saw Pi when I was in high school, and I’ve been wowed by his entire filmography… but it’s rare that I can bear more than one viewing. I know I will never own a copy of Requiem For A Dream because there is a zero percent chance of me ever watching it again.

This is the nice bonus of Caught Stealing. After spending the better part of three decades becoming a master of bleak cinema, Aronofsky’s adaptation of Charlie Huston’s novel of the same name is a refreshing change of pace tonally, and it showcases a new dimension of his tremendous skills. There’s no question that it still has its dark moments, from which it’s able to develop its character arcs and intense stakes, but the filmmaker allows himself to be a bit slick and cool while unfurling his comedic neo-noir thriller full of colorful personalities.

Only further solidifying Austin Butler as leading man material, the Elvis star plays Hank Thompson: a former talented baseball prospect whose destiny was changed to serving drinks at a New York dive bar after a car accident shattered his dreams. Albeit a functional alcoholic, he lives a relatively happy life and has a blossoming romance with an EMT named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) – but everything in his world becomes chaos after he acquiesces to an innocuous cat-sitting request from his punker neighbor Russ (Matt Smith), who is dealing with a family emergency.

Hank, who describes himself as more of a dog person, isn’t particularly fond of the feline, but cat bites and fur on his bed becomes the least of his problems when a pair of Russian mobsters (Yuri Kolokolnikov, Nikita Kukushkin) visits his building and end up savagely beating him because of his association with Russ. Following a brief stay in the hospital, he reaches out to a detective (Regina King) who leaves her card with his doctors, and he discovers that he has been accidentally roped into a cartel conflict between the Russians, a criminally connected Brighton Beach club owner (Benito A Martínez Ocasio), and a pair of Hasidic gangsters (Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio).

Not all of the story ingredients are super fresh, but Caught Stealing delivers a mystery that blends thrills and fun.

With an extra boost from 1998 setting, Caught Stealing is narratively reminiscent of movies you’d see in the filmographies of Shane Black, Guy Ritchie, or Joel and Ethan Coen, and while it wouldn’t be viewed as the sharpest, best, or most original work coming from those creative minds, it has some engaging and fun tricks up its sleeve. The various trailers for the movie unfortunately give away the answer to one of the bigger questions pushing the story forward (namely why it is that Russ has a target on his back), but Charlie Huston consistently keeps other irons in the fire that keep things interesting – setting up other mysteries that radiate from some shocking twists and keeping the audience questioning who in the ensemble of characters can be trusted.

Not every swing is successful, as the movie ends up using more than a couple well-used tropes in propelling Hank’s dark adventure through the crime world of New York in the late 1990s. It teeters on being too derivative, but it’s ultimately able to coast thanks to the film’s style and the talent involved.

The whole cast is having a lot of fun, but it’s Austin Butler’s turn that anchors the film.

Having directed multiple actors to Oscar-nominated/winning performances, Darren Aronofsky stuffing Caught Stealing with on-screen talent is far from a surprise (on top of having the expansive cast, there are a number of fun cameos as well) – and while not everyone has the opportunity to play with a wide array of dimensions, they have vivid personalities to bridge the gap. Scene-stealers include Matt Smith, who brings the mohawk-sporting Russ to life with a shocking and entertaining range of emotions, and Nikita Kukushkin, as the off-the-charts weird Russian enforcer Microbe, but at the end of the day, this is principally an extension of Austin Butler’s on-going spotlight moment.

From his work as a Manson-influenced killer to the King Of Rock and Roll to a sadistic intergalactic fascist, Butler has spent recent years impressing with his range, and Caught Stealing continues that trend as he is able to bring his impressive charisma to what is a much more down-to-earth part. As a character, Hank is smart, capable, likable, and flawed, all of which make him compelling as he tries to escape his deadly predicament, and Butler perfectly plays all of the highs and lows of emotion that strike along the way.

While still working with some grisly material, Darren Aronofsky shows a flair for action and period storytelling – demonstrating smart comedic timing as well.

Having Butler as his lead allows Darren Aronofsky to properly explore the darker sides of his sensibilities, as Hank is haunted by the traumatic accident that devastated his career in addition to dealing with the nightmare of happenstance that has abducted his life, but there is also a clear intention in the work for the director to do something new. Between Hank leading a bar sing-a-long to Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch,” nimble chases through the streets of New York, and Russ’ adorable cat playing a key supporting role in the whole ordeal, there is a pursuit of fun that doesn’t interrupt the drama. Aronofsky makes skilled use of the story’s time and place (in addition to its soundtrack full of 1990s hits, I, as a New York Mets fan, particularly love a sequence that sees characters racing through crowds at the now-gone Shea Stadium), and collaboration with cinematographer Matthew Libatique and editor Andrew Weisblum yields a thrilling collection of dynamic action beats.

Within the full spectrum of Darren Aronofsky’s directorial canon, Caught Stealing is a title that rates toward the middle of the pack – but that more than anything speaks to the exceptional quality of his other works, and it’s nonetheless refreshing to see him take on something so different. It doesn’t dig down to extreme emotional depths like Requiem For A Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan or The Whale, but that’s counterbalanced by it being a cool, occasionally sexy, fun diversion.

Matt Smith sports quite the extreme look in the new dark comedy thriller Caught Stealing. On an opposite end of the spectrum from his besuited performance as The Doctor, his character Russ in the movie is personally doing his part to keep punk alive – regularly appearing in a studded leather jacket and rocking a flame colored mohawk. The latter is definitely the best part of the whole aesthetic, but as we recently learned from the actor, committing to it required a little extra push from director Darren Aronofsky.

As captured in the video above, CinemaBlend's Hannah Saulic sat down with Matt Smith and Regina King during the recent Los Angeles press day for Caught Stealing, and it was during a discussion about the mohawk that Smith admitted having some doubts about cutting his hair. It evidently took a bit of extra convincing from the director of The Whale for him to work up the courage and trim his locks. He explained,

If you've seen footage from Caught Stealing, you know that the mohawk is a work of art. The coloration is rad, and it's a perfect choice to automatically tell the audience what the character is all about.

In the film, adapted/based on the novel by Charlie Huston, Matt Smith's Russ is very much the catalyst of the story. He is the neighbor of Austin Butler's Hank Thompson – a former baseball prospect who makes ends meet as a bartender – and when he has to go out of town for a family emergency, he asks Hank to watch after his cat. Our protagonist agrees without totally realizing what he is signing up for, as his simple relationship gets him accidentally caught up in a major conflict in the crime world involving the police (Regina King), a dangerous Brighton Beach club owner (Bad Bunny) Russian mobsters (Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov), and a couple of Hassidic gangers (Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio).

Also starring Zoë Kravitz, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane, Caught Stealing is now just a few days away from arriving in theaters – set to be released this Friday, August 29. This is just the first story from our interviews with Darren Aronofsky and the movie's cast, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our coverage.

Darren Aronofsky’s abandoned Batman movie has become one of those cinematic “what ifs” that fans and film historians love to revisit. Long before Matt Reeves put Robert Pattinson in the cowl, and even before Christopher Nolan reshaped Gotham with Batman Begins, the Pi filmmaker was attached to a gritty reimagining co-written with comic book legend Frank Miller. But as much as people continue to mourn the film-that-never-was, Aronofsky himself has now revealed that making the superhero movie wasn’t even really the goal.

On a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Requiem for a Dream director explained why his interest in Batman was always more complicated than it seemed. As he put it:

In other words, the Dark Knight was never the main event. The Mother! filmmaker admitted that his attachment to Gotham’s caped crusader was more of a strategy to push his passion project into reality. He continued:

This gritty, low-budget take on Batman might have seemed outrageous back in the early 2000s, but looking at it from 2025, it feels ahead of its time. After all, Robert Pattinson’s The Batman proved just how well a darker, grounded approach can work.

Aronofsky's vision for Batman was wild in its own right. As he recalled, he and Miller had dreamed up a brutal, low-budget, street-level take on the character that had little in common with the glossy superhero spectacles audiences were used to at the time. He added:

It’s a fascinating “too early” moment in superhero cinema. Years later, audiences would embrace darker R-rated comic book movie fare like Logan and Joker, but in the early 2000s, studios were still laser-focused on toy sales and four-quadrant blockbusters. Aronofsky’s “duct tape” Batman never stood a chance.

The casting conversation also revealed how different the superhero landscape was back then. When asked if the rumor was true that he would have cast Joaquin Phoenix as Bruce Wayne, the Wrestler director confirmed that the studio had a former teen heartthrob in mind:

It’s almost surreal to imagine how history might have unfolded if Phoenix, who went on to join the ranks of comic-book Oscar winners for his performance in Joker, had donned the cape in the early 2000s. Instead, Nolan’s grounded but accessible Batman Begins would define the character for a new generation, and Aronofsky moved on to make The Fountain, a polarizing movie for sure, but he admits it was the project he cared about most all along.

Fans like myself who are still bummed it never happened and are still daydreaming about what his take on the Caped Crusader could have looked like, for Darren Aronofsky, the character was never the endgame. Instead, it was a stepping stone to telling the story he truly wanted.

Be sure to check out our list of upcoming DC movies to see what's up and coming for the DCU on the 2026 movie schedule and beyond.

Darren Aronofsky’s best movies, like Black Swan, Mother!, and Requiem for a Dream, to name a few, are truly memorable and powerful because of their brilliant direction and deep performances. However, the Academy Award nominee hasn’t minced words on his “hate” toward working with method actors years after he worked with Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream.

Method actors are not like other actors who are only in character until the director yells “Cut!” They live the part even when the cameras are off to ensure they give a genuine performance. Darren Aronofsky isn’t a fan of this technique of deep-diving into a role and sure didn’t mince words in his Paris masterclass (via Variety):

The American filmmaker didn’t list any examples of method actors he was referring to, but we know he’s worked with them. He's also notably collaborated with Jared Leto, who has made many headlines for his immersive acting methods.

A BTS fact from Requiem for a Dream revealed that Jared Leto lost 25 pounds through fasting, spoke with a Brooklyn accent 24/7, and spent time with drug dealers on the NYC streets to play Harry Goldfarb. So, Aronofsky has seen this method actor in action before.

On top of that, Leto's methods have been discussed at length due to how he worked on other films. Using cloudy contact lenses to play the blind Niander Wallace, the Oscar winner made himself go blind for Blade Runner 2049 and had an assistant physically help him navigate the set. He was also extremely dedicated to playing Joker in Suicide Squad, and his co-star Jai Courtney said he was fully absorbed in the villainous role throughout production.

The Whale director later said in his masterclass that method acting was “fine” as long as it was not “debilitating” for everyone else involved in the movie. This makes me wonder how Darren Aronofsky would feel about Jared Leto’s questionable actions as the Joker. For example, he kissed his co-star Ike Barinholtz during the filming of Suicide Squad and sent his co-stars bizarre gifts, all to portray the DC villain. Leto’s co-star Common, however, claimed he didn’t have a problem with his method-acting technique, feeling you do what’s “necessary” to play the part.

Overall, Darren Aronofsky admitted his acceptance of what actors do during their downtime, but had to give his encouraging two cents on the subject:

Yes, relaxing is good advice for everyone, especially actors who are taking on difficult and consuming roles. However, method acting has also proven to work for many actors, like Daniel Day-Lewis, too.

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2025 movie release, he’ll be teaming up with Austin Butler in Caught Stealing. However, the former Nickelodeon star has been known to take up some method acting himself.

He went to great lengths to play Elvis Presley, like not seeing his family for months, falling asleep listening to The King’s voice, and even speaking the whole time in his Elvis voice. Fans even grew concerned when the Masters of the Air actor continued speaking as Elvis after the biopic. Now, I’m all the more curious if Butler will incorporate any of his method-like techniques into Aronofsky’s flick.

The idea of method acting may not hit well with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. However, fully immersing yourself in a role has also worked well for some actors and caused a commotion for others and their co-stars. So, there are really two sides to this coin, and it does seem like the beloved director knows that and accepts it (even if he's not a fan of the method).

The past week has offered some wonderful goodies for Stephen King fans. Shortly after the launch of last Thursday’s edition of The King Beat, the first ever teaser trailer for Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck arrived online, and it was two days ago that we learned Darren Aronofsky is in talks to helm the remake of Cujo that is in development at Netflix with producer Roy Lee. That’s some seriously great material to chew on, but with deeper examination of the Flanagan film guaranteed in the near future given its pending arrival in theaters this summer, I’ve opted to dedicate this column to thoughts on the latter – specifically in the realm of casting.

With the Cujo remake still very much in early stages (as of this feature’s publication, there isn’t a screenwriter attached yet), it will probably be a while before we hear any official news about actors signing on to star… but that just makes this time in the project’s development all the more suitable for wild speculation. But that’s not all, as this week also marks an anniversary for one of Stephen King’s best short story collections. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dig in!

What Would A Darren Aronofsky-Directed Cujo Remake Look Like With Experienced Stephen King Stars?

Like a lot of fans, I enjoy partaking in a bit of fan casting for projects that I’m hotly anticipating, but I like to give myself an extra challenge when I do so for Stephen King adaptations. Instead of just picking any random actors who would potentially be proper fits for particular roles, I like to limit myself to only stars who have previously appeared in other King projects. Given the exceptionally long history of King on screen, which stretches back nearly a half-century, it’s not the most restrictive rule I could apply, but it still makes the effort a bit more fun.

I’ve previously imagined casts for 2022’s Firestarter remake and the Holly series that is in development, but I figured this week’s King Beat would be a fun opportunity to imagine an ensemble for a Darren Aronofsky-directed Cujo, and you’ll find the results of this thought experiment below.

Note: I hate to do this, but I’m punting on fan casting Tad Trenton. He’s obviously a vital character in the story, but given that he is under 10 years old, the pool of age-appropriate actors from the history of Stephen King adaptations simply doesn’t exist. The part will almost certainly go to a first-time actor, as was the case with Danny Pintauro in the 1983 film.

Rebecca Ferguson As Donna Trenton

Donna Trenton is a role with (if you’ll pardon the overused expression) big shoes to fill. Dee Wallace is extraordinary playing Donna in the Lewis Teague-directed adaptation of Cujo, and I’m in full agreement with Stephen King that she should have at the very least earned an Academy Award nomination. What makes it a great challenge also means it’s a great opportunity, however, and it’s one that I would trust Rebecca Ferguson to take on. She is utterly phenomenal as the villainous Rose The Hat in Doctor Sleep, and could deliverer a powerhouse turn as a mother who finds herself simultaneously dealing with the guilt of an affair and in a life-or-death circumstance that sees herself trapped in a broken down car during a heat wave by a rabid St. Bernard.

Jason Clarke As Vic Trenton

In 2019, Vulture declared Jason Clarke to be “Hollywood’s Go-to Cuckold,” and I feel compelled to suggest an expansion of that strange cinematic legacy here. Prior to playing the lead role in the remake of Pet Sematary, Clarke was in four films that saw his character get cheated on (The Great Gatsby, All I See Is You, The Aftermath and Mudbound), and it’s since then also been a part of his role in 2020’s The Devil All The Time. Playing Vic Trenton in Cujo would allow him to add a potentially fantastic sixth title to that very specific filmography, and it’s actually a great part, as Vic goes on an emotionally heavy journey while out of town on a business after learning of Donna’s affair (not knowing that she is concurrently fighting for her life).

Glen Powell As Steve Kemp

I’m admittedly jumping the gun here, as Glen Powell won’t technically be a Stephen King adaptation veteran until the release of Edgar Wright’s The Running Man in November. That being said, he is too perfect for the part of Steve Kemp that I felt compelled to include him. An actor playing the part needs to be attractive and charismatic enough to lure Donna Trenton into an affair, but he must also be able to turn on the asshole energy for when the character goes full agro after Donna shuts down their relationship. Powell’s body of work demonstrates that he can do both.

Yul Vazquez As Roger Breakstone

To be honest, Roger Breakstone is not exactly the biggest or best part in Cujo, he being Vic Trenton’s business partner and confidant, but it’s the kind of role that can be elevated by a veteran character actor, and Yul Vazquez is a perfect fit for that particular bill. The energy of the part – a mix of professional and fraternal – is not too dissimilar to what the performer brought to his turn as Lieutenant Yunis Sablo (the partner of Ben Mendelsohn’s Ralph Anderson) in 2020’s The Outsider, giving me full confidence that he could make the most of the material.

Mark Hamill As Joe Camber

Audiences first got to see Mark Hamill in a Stephen King movie when he had an uncredited part in Sleepwalkers (the first film based on an original King screenplay), but he recently jumped back into the world with parts in the upcoming films The Life Of Chuck and The Long Walk, and Joe Camber in Cujo could be another great part for the actor. The drunk and abusive owner of the eponymous dog is a role far removed from the personality of Luke Skywalker, but Hamill recently did an amazing job portraying sinister vibes in the Netflix series The Fall Of The House Of Usher, and there are big expectations for his antagonist turn in The Long Walk.

Patrick Wilson As Sheriff George Bannerman

Sheriff George Bannerman is a character with a notable history in the works of Stephen King, as he is one of the early heroes of the author’s Castle Rock stories. Such a part requires an actor with both charisma and gravitas, and Patrick Wilson is a performer well-equipped with both. To date, Wilson’s only performance in a King project has been his dark and sinister turn as Ross Humboldt in the underrated Netflix movie In The Tall Grass, but he has the screen presence to let George stand out as the hero of his own story in Cujo – as the cop investigating the disappearance of Donna Trenton – and that will make it all the more impactful when his narrative becomes a tragedy.

For now, all of this Cujo casting is made of hopes and stardust, but we can keep fingers crossed that the project will move through the stages of development quickly, and that we’ll start learning about actors signing on very soon. Obviously, you should stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates!

Wishing A Happy 23rd Anniversary To Everything’s Eventual: One Of Stephen King’s Best Short Story Collections

I would make the argument that choosing a favorite Stephen King short story collection is a lot more difficult than choosing a favorite Stephen King novel. Simply put, it’s much easier to compare single stories against each other versus the overall highs and lows of a dozen-plus stories. Because of this, I’m typically reticent to officially declare any of King’s many omnibuses to be the best-of-the-best, but if I were to give any one title that superlative, Everything’s Eventual would be a heavy consideration.

It was 23 years ago this week (specifically on March 19, 2002) that the book first arrived on store shelves, and in recognition of its anniversary, allow me to officially recommend it to anyone who hasn’t already read it. Genre-wise, it offers a lot to readers – including the Roland Deschain adventure "The Little Sisters of Eluria" (a supernatural western), the gangster tale "The Death of Jack Hamilton," the heavy drama of "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away," and the fantasy "Luckey Quarter" – but in classic King tradition, it’s the tales of terror that end up leaving the biggest impression.

Some of the standouts include the paralyzing experience of "Autopsy Room Four;" the déjà vu-centic nightmare of "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French," and the haunted hotel room adventure "1408," but if I had to pick a #1, it would have to be "The Man in the Black Suit" – a gripping coming-of-age horror story about a young boy encountering the devil. It’s the second story in Everything’s Eventual, but it leaves you with a cold feeling that is just impossible to shake as you read the rest of the book.

That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, but if you’re an individual who is constantly hungry for the latest updates about the world of Stephen King, be sure to join me here on CinemaBlend next Thursday and every Thursday for a new feature examining any and all new developments concerning the beloved author.

Some of the most gifted filmmakers of all time have made Stephen King adaptations – the impressive history including names like Stanley Kubrick, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Brian De Palma, Rob Reiner, and George A. Romero. Simply put, great stories attract great storytellers, and if new reports pan out as true, then we'll be soon noting another incredible director as part of the legacy: Darren Aronofsky.

Last week, it was reported that Netflix was actively developing a new remake of Cujo with producer Roy Lee (IT, IT: Chapter Two, Doctor Sleep) shepherding the project, and the Hollywood Reporter has sources saying that Darren Aronofsky is now in talks to direct. Not much is know about the vision for the film, but as the trade notes, it seems to be getting fast-tracked.

Audiences last saw Aronofsky's work on the big screen in 2022 with the release of The Whale – which memorably won two Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Brendan Fraser and Best Makeup And Hairstyling. While one could argue that the filmmaker's only explicit journey into the world of horror is 2010's Black Swan, that would also be ignoring all of the shocking and horrific developments in the "dramas" Pi, Requiem For A Dream, and Mother! Most recently, he has been working on the crime thriller Caught Stealing starring Austin Butler, which is set to arrive in theaters this August.

Beyond the fact that Darren Aronofsky has proven time and time again to be exceptionally talented, what makes me most excited about the idea of him helming the Cujo remake is the fact that he is a storyteller who is not afraid to take audiences into extremely dark places, and that's exactly what the Stephen King movie needs. Because the 1983 film directed by Lewis Teague holds up so well, I've previously said that the only real reason to do a new adaptation would be to execute the ending that is in the book: in the film, Donna and Tad Trenton (Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro) both survive after being under siege for days by a rabid St. Bernard, but the book sees Tad die of heatstroke and dehydration.

The new version of Cujo doesn't have a writer attached yet, but once he is officially attached, Darren Aronofsky will reportedly start talking with "candidates" for the job (per THR).

While we wait for more updates about Cujo, the good news for all you Constant Readers out there is that there's a whole bunch of new Stephen King movies and TV shows still on the way this year – even with Osgood Perkins' The Monkey now playing in theaters everywhere. Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck (which just dropped its first trailer last week) is arriving this summer, and Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man starring Glen Powell is set for release this fall. On the small screen, HBO will be premiering IT: Welcome To Derry in the coming months, and MGM+ is going to air The Institute before the end of 2025

Austin Butler may never live down his Elvis Presley accent, but who cares when the role gave him his first Oscar nomination! The actor has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors in recent years, with his latest role being among the star-studded Dune: Part 2 cast. Next, he’s working with another critically-acclaimed director. Butler has just signed on to Darren Aronofsky’s next movie, so bring in the early Oscar predictions!

Butler is set to play the lead in a movie called Caught Stealing, which has just joined a long list of upcoming book adaptations being produced by Hollywood. Per Deadline, Austin Butler will play the leading role of Hank Thompson in Aronofsky’s next project, who is a former baseball player who finds himself in the underbelly of New York City’s crime world while working as a bartender. Caught Stealing is based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 novel of the same name, and Huston will be behind the script of the adaptation too!

Darren Aronofsky’s movies more often than not get awards buzz, especially for the performances the filmmaker brings out of actors, between Natalie Portman’s chilling role in 2010’s Black Swan that earned her a Best Actress win at the Oscars, to Brendan Fraser being among 2023 Oscar winners for his leading role in The Whale. Additionally, both Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei were nominated for his 2009 movie The Wrestler, and Ellen Burstyn was in contention for Best Actress for 2000’s Requiem for a Dream.

It's surely too early to tell what’s in the cards for Austin Butler and the award show, but considering Darren Aronofsky’s history with filmmaking, this new role does bring him closer to being a two-time Oscar nominee quite a few years before his 40th birthday. Butler also has time to blow audiences away for his role in Ari Aster’s next film, Eddington, which is an upcoming Western also starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. Butler is currently filming the project in New Mexico.

Butler has already had a heck of the year playing twisted villain Feyd Rautha in Dune: Part 2, which has already become the highest-grossing of the 2024 movies. Next on the horizon, the actor will also star in The Bikeriders, which has a thrilling trailer out. The Jeff Nichols film also starring Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist and Norman Reedus is about a fictional 1960s motorcycle club. It’s set to hit theaters this June.

Austin Butler is certainly being careful to choose some incredible directors and fellow actors to star alongside following his star-making turn as Elvis Presley back in 2022. We can’t wait to see what his and Darren Aronofsky’s collaboration will be like. Until then, you can see Butler in Dune: Part 2, which is still playing in theaters.

Some filmmakers require time to find their voice. They have to make a few simply "ok" features before having the skills required to make their masterpiece. But that's not the case with the directors featured on this list. These folks quickly figured out what they could do with a camera, and they produced magic with their first feature.

It's a terribly hard thing to do, but here are 32 directors who made great films on their very first try.

Orson Welles – Citizen Kane

A lot of incredible films are highlighted on this list, but Citizen Kane is special given that in addition to being Orson Welles’ first feature, it’s considered by many to be the greatest movie all time. The hunt for the meaning behind a publishing titan’s last word is endlessly compelling and a fascinating examination of the soul corruption that comes with a rise to power.

Quentin Tarantino – Reservoir Dogs

Before making modern and instant classics like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, the legend of Quentin Tarantino began with the phenomenal Reservoir Dogs. The sharp dialogue, the non-linear storytelling, the tense violence and the needle-drop centric soundtrack all instantly confirmed that Tarantino was a talent to watch.

Jordan Peele – Get Out

It came as a shock when comedian Jordan Peele announced that he was shifting to a new phase of his career, as he wanted to pursue his true passion: directing horror movies. It was hard to know what to make of the decision at the time, but Peele has since established himself as one of the industry’s greatest genre filmmakers, and it all started with the stunning Get Out. It’s scary, layered, and the big third act twist never loses its impact.

Spike Jonze – Being John Malkovich

Spike Jonze wasn’t exactly inexperienced when he took the helm of Being John Malkovich as his first feature, as he had established himself as a genius talent in the world of music videos, but that doesn’t take anything away from his accomplishments. It’s a wild, strange, and perfect execution of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s genius and cerebral script, and both the design and cinematography make it unforgettable.

Sidney Lumet – 12 Angry Men

It requires incredible skill to direct a film that almost entirely takes place in a single room and juggles 12 different characters with different perspectives… but there’s a reason why Sidney Lumet is considered one of history’s greatest filmmakers. The basic description of 12 Angry Men doesn’t sound particularly cinematic, but it grips you from the start, and keeps you fascinated throughout – particularly thanks to one of Henry Fonda’s greatest performances.

Joel & Ethan Coen – Blood Simple

Joel and Ethan Coen are masters of crime fiction, and they proved that instantly in the start of their careers as feature filmmakers. Blood Simple is a tense neo-noir that comes with all of the trimmings of the genre – from the chiaroscuro lighting to a brilliant femme fatale turn from Frances McDormand – and M. Emmett Walsh is a force as the relentless Loren Visser.

Rob Reiner – This Is Spinal Tap

Few filmmakers have had runs like what Rob Reiner accomplished in the 1980s/1990s, sequentially making Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men, but his genius as a director was first established with 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap: a hilarious rock n’ roll mockumentary widely considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Sam Raimi – The Evil Dead

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell were college students determined to make their first ever feature, and traveled from Michigan to a dilapidated cabin in Tennessee to make The Evil Dead. The production of the film was an absolute nightmare, but the juice was very much worth the squeeze, as the movie exists as a testament to brilliant imagination, and it is an important classic in the history of the horror genre.

Frank Darabont – The Shawshank Redemption

After writing a brilliant adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption,” Frank Darabont actually took a major pay cut so that Castle Rock Entertainment would allow him to make The Shawshank Redemption his directorial debut. This turned out to be a legendary move that has cemented Darabont in cinematic history, as the movie is one of the most beloved of all time and an antidote to cynicism.

John Singleton - Boyz n The Hood

With his directorial debut, John Singleton captured the perspective of an underrepresented audience on the big screen – crafting a Stand By Me-esque coming-of-age story about life in south central Los Angeles. In one of his earliest roles, Cuba Gooding Jr. demonstrates incredible talent alongside Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut, but it’s Laurence Fishburne’s Furious Styles for which the film will always be remembered.

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Emerald Fennell made quite an impression in 2020 with the debut of Promising Young Woman – a primal scream of a movie that captures the horrors that women experience in our modern world and comes together as a darkly comedic revenge thriller. Carey Mulligan’s performance is wicked, and it sports a finale that leaves the audience breathless and mind-blown.

Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal is unquestionably one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Nightcrawler sees him let off the leash to showcase his phenomenal cinematic presence. Dan Gilroy was an experienced screenwriter prior to making his directorial debut, and one can understand why he wanted to make this movie himself: it’s a vicious, Taxi Driver-esque look at crime scene videography and a stunning and cutting commentary on “if it bleeds, it leads” culture in local journalism.

George A. Romero – Night Of The Living Dead

There aren’t exactly a lot of filmmakers who successfully launched an entire new subgenre with their first feature, but that’s exactly what George A. Romero did with Night Of The Living Dead. The zombie film was a shocking standout upon its original release – featuring a Black actor as its lead and a series of nightmarish scenes of horror – and its genius is no less apparent today.

Rian Johnson – Brick

Long before wowing us with his ensemble-driven Benoit Blanc mysteries Knives Out and Glass Onion, Rian Johnson stunned cinephiles as a first-time director with Brick. It’s a stylized neo-noir that stands out with its high school backdrop and young characters, and it dazzles with unyielding tension, unique dialogue, and a terrific third act reveal.

Tom Hanks – That Thing You Do!

Admit it: even just seeing the title of That Thing You Do! has immediately gotten the eponymous song stuck in your head. But on top of that track being two minutes and 50 seconds of peppy greatness, the film is a fantastic tale about a one hit wonder that pops thanks to Tom Hanks’ excellent direction and a delightful ensemble cast.

David Lynch – Eraserhead

It didn’t take long for David Lynch to tell cinephiles what he is all about. The auteur filmmaker established his nightmarish, cerebral sensibilities from the get-go with Eraserhead – which is a confident work from the first time director and paved the road for further masterpieces like Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks.

Amy Heckerling – Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Amy Heckerling would easily be in the Coming-Of-Age Movie Hall Of Fame if Clueless were the only film on her filmography, but it was 13 years earlier that she made one of the genre’s all-time greatest titles as her directorial debut: Fast Times At Ridgemont High. There is so much to love about this film, from the radical Jeff Spicoli, to the drama of the relationship between Stacy and Mark, to the sounds of The Cars’ “Living In Stereo.”

Destin Daniel Cretton – Short Term 12

It’s a remarkable thing when a film, a series of images mixed with sound rapidly displayed to show movement, can touch your soul, but that’s something that Destin Daniel Cretton’s powerful directorial debut does – centering on the staff of a residential treatment facility. In retrospect, the ensemble cast in this one is beyond outstanding (including Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, and Stephanie Beatriz), and their talents are on full display.

Patty Jenkins – Monster

Patty Jenkins’ directorial debut, Monster, is far from a fun cinematic experience, and one actually feels compelled to take a shower after watching it, but it’s a riveting work. Charlize Theron delivers what is arguably the best performance of her career and earned her Academy Award.

Josh & Benny Safdie - Good Time

Cinephiles were thrilled to discover the cinematic heart attack that is Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems in 2019, but anyone who watched the brothers’ directorial debut was at the very least mentally prepared for the experience. Starring Robert Pattinson, Good Time is a deeply stressful crime film that comes packed with touches of Of Mice And Men, and it leaves a deep impression on whoever watches it.

Darren Aronofsky – Pi

Darren Aronofsky has a gift for making movies that makes you want to curl up in a ball and cry (see: Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, mother!), and it’s a mode he hasn’t diverted from since making his feature debut with Pi. It’s a stylistic story of obsession and has one of the most upsetting endings of all time.

John Huston - The Maltese Falcon

There are some films that are held up as the true classics of classic film noir, and right alongside Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Bill Wilder’s Double Indemnity and Carol Reed’s The Third Man is John Huston’s phenomenal The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade is an icon of detective fiction, and the twists and turns of the mystery feel as fresh today as ever.

Ari Aster - Hereditary

Ari Aster has quickly become one of the most exciting modern filmmakers making original horror, and that’s in part because audiences are still experiencing nightmares from his directorial debut. A look at both generational trauma and grief, Hereditary is a movie so scary that it would make you feel cold if you were in the middle of the desert, and has more than a few images that end up tattooed on the back of your eyelids as you try to go to sleep at night.

Michael Mann - Thief

Nobody makes crime movies like Michael Mann, and it all started with Thief. It’s a thrilling and captivating look at a talented Chicago criminal who is looking for his way into legitimacy and finds himself fighting forces that try and drag him back into his shady business. The movie features one of James Caan’s best performances, and the talented ensemble includes Jim Belishi, Dennis Farina and Willie Nelson.

Francois Truffaut - The 400 Blows

Valued as an important part of cinema history and the French New Wave, Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is a powerful coming-of-age story starring Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, a troubled youth who ends up quitting school and turning to thievery, only to be apprehended and thrown in a juvenile detention center. Truffaut is recognized for having created some of the most beautiful films to ever be produced in France, and it all started here.

Jean Luc Goddard - Breathless

Another evocative title that emerged from the French New Wave, Jean Luc Goddard’s Breathless is a visually stunning work of crime and love, with tremendous cinematic innovation, attitude that bleeds off the screen, and an outstanding performance from star Jean-Paul Belmondo in his breakout role.

Barry Jenkins – Medicine For Melancholy

Barry Jenkins first earned widespread acclaim in 2016 for his film Moonlight (which deservingly won Best Picture at the Academy Awards), but not to be slept on is the debut feature he made eight years earlier: Medicine For Melancholy. Starring Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins and set over the course of a single day, it’s a beautiful and emotional romantic drama.

Steven Soderbergh - Sex, Lies, And Videotape

Steven Soderbergh is now recognized as one of the most talented, eclectic filmmakers in cinema, but it all started with Sex, Lies And Videotape – a fascinating romantic drama with brilliant meta levels examining intimacy via camera.

George Miller – Mad Max

Many genre classics have been covered in this list, and now it’s time to dive into one of the greatest action/adventure films of all time. With Mad Max, George Miller takes us to an unnerving not-to-distant future full of violence and chaos, and his unique skills as a filmmaker capturing all that wildness all in camera is what makes this a forever-thrilling experience.

Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

One can read and learn that there is intense competition in performance arts schools, but it’s another thing to live it – and that’s what audiences get to do in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Miles Teller is brilliant as the determined and talented Andrew Neiman, but it’s the Oscar-winning work of J.K. Simmons that makes this outstanding directorial debut exceptional.

Mel Brooks – The Producers

Every legendary cinematic run has to start somewhere, and for Mel Brooks, it was with the brilliance of The Producers. Long before he was shocking with the world with Blazing Saddles and History Of The World Part I, the brilliant comedian unleashed his tale of a Broadway scheme and the insanity of “Springtime For Hitler.”

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker And Jerry Zucker – Airplane!

In the 1980s/1990s, nobody made spoof movies like Jim Abrahams, David Zucker And Jerry Zucker, and they quickly established their special comedic voice with their directorial debut: Airplane! The insane pacing of the jokes and the sheer ridiculousness of everything make this a movie that threatens to choke you with laughter, and there are so, so many quotable lines – many thanks to the deadpan brilliance of Leslie Nielsen.

This list obviously has the potential to grow forever, and it'll be exciting to see who the next big breakout movie directors are. 

We’re currently deep into Awards Season, where the film industry honors its best and most acclaimed movies. Throughout this time Brendan Fraser has been given universal acclaim and countless trophies for his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. But that movie has also garnered some backlash, specifically related to the use of extensive prosthesis to transform him into protagonist Charlie. And now Fraser has reacted to the criticism coming for The Whale, addressing those concerns head on.

In The Whale, Brendan Fraser plays a morbidly obese character named Charlie. He went through a ton of prosthesis in order to transform into the role, and accurately depict the way his character would move. Those involved in the film also worked with the Obesity Action Coalition to make sure the story was told with respect. Fraser recently spoke to the LA Times about the backlash to his casting as Charlie, saying:

There you have it. While Brendan Fraser seems to respect those who take umbrage with The Whale, he does not share those concerns. And this is seemingly due to how much care was taken with the portrayal of Charlie for those involved in the movie– especially Fraser himself. We’ll just have to see if he manages to take home the Academy Award for his performance.

Brendan Fraser’s comments to the LA Times come as he’s been attending all sorts of Awards Season event for The Whale. His performance has been winning him a variety of accolades, including a recent SAG win. And during this time he’s no doubt heard some of the concerns surrounding the Aranofsky movie.

Perhaps the biggest criticism pointed at The Whale is that Darren Aronofsky did not cast an obese actor to play Charlie. Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese is one celeb who posed this question, pointing out how few characters there are for queer actors of size. The filmmaker maintains that they searched everywhere when casting the film, and that Fraser was the best man for the job. And while Fraser is the favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Actor, there’s still ongoing discourse about his casting online.

The Whale is currently available for home purchase on places like Amazon, and The Oscars will air March 12th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Darren Aronofsky has been no stranger to dividing moviegoers when it comes to his films of the past, and his latest, 2022 movie release The Whale is following suit. The drama stars Brendan Fraser as a 600-pound teacher struggling with his health, who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teen daughter, played by Sadie Sink. Since the movie’s release, it’s been both showered with praise and criticized for its portrayal of obesity. Following the divisive reactions, The Whale’s writer has shared his own thoughts. 

The Whale is an adaptation of a 2012 play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, who also penned the screenplay for the A24 film. In an interview with People, Hunter opened up that the story is somewhat influenced by some of his own experiences self medicating with food and struggling with a depressed young man who struggled with “reconciling” his Christian faith and his queer sexuality. When it comes to The Whale’s backlash, Hunter said where he thinks it’s coming from with these words: 

As Hunter also pointed out, he’s “read hundreds of reviews” about the original play of The Whale and he’s “never really encountered that sort of backlash” from it that the movie is now getting. He attributed it to Hollywood’s negative history with depicting obesity on film. Many times over, movies have had actors wearing fat suits to play to comedic beats, thus Fraser's casting be the latest to receive backlash. Hunter also said this: 

And there’s certainly so many more eyes on Samuel D. Hunter’s story now that it’s a movie than he ever would have seen with his play. The backlash has included Mean Girls actor and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Daniel Franzese who said he was “conflicted” about The Whale casting Fraser rather than “other big queer guys.” Other examples are Roxane Gay's thought she felt the movie reinforced anti-fat stereotypes in a The New York Times opinion piece along with many other people on Twitter calling it “fatphobic.” 

Brendan Fraser wore prosthesis and a bodysuit to portray The Whale’s protagonist and has defended the use of this, also explaining that the production felt an “obligation” to ensure they were “accurate” and not used as a “one-note joke.” Additionally, director Darren Aronofsky spoke to the casting process, saying he did look for actors with obesity but it became a “crazy chase” to find someone who was heavy enough and decided to instead find the right actor for the emotion of the role rather than the stature. 

As The Whale continues to play in theaters, divide movie fans as it is very much a part of the award season conversation, you can check out CinemaBlend’s interviews with Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and more. 

Actor Brendan Fraser is definitely having a bit of a comeback moment, which fans have affectionately named the Brenaissance. This is partly thanks to his acclaimed performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, which has resulted in various honors and tributes in the film festival circuit. He’s a favorite for Awards Season, which recently kicked off when he scored a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. But there’s a story behind why Fraser won’t attend the Globes, despite this honor.

The Golden Globe nominations were recently announced, revealing which movies are being honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Brendan Fraser scored a nom for The Whale (see the movie’s critical response here), but he recently confirmed to GQ that he won’t be attending the ceremony. He was quoted addressing this possibility by saying:

Well, there you have it. While Brendan Fraser is expected to be nominated and present for the majority of this Awards Season’s major ceremonies, it seems like the 2023 Golden Globes won’t be one of them. And this comes just shortly after he scored a nomination for Best Performance By an Actor in A Motion Picture - Drama. 

Brendan Fraser’s comments to GQ stand in stark contrast to how actors typically react to Golden Globe nominations. But those who have been following the 54 year-old actor might not be surprised, as he’s had some major issues with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Specifically, he had previously alleged that a former member groped him years ago. Let’s break it all down.

Brendan Fraser’s History With The Hollywood Foreign Press

Given Brendan Fraser’s comments, it’s clear that he’s still harboring some very strong feelings related to the Hollywood Foreign Press. This all dates to an alleged incident from 2003, with the actor opening up to GQ about the situation in a 2018 interview. He maintains that former HFPA president Philip Berk groped him, and that the organization swept the controversy under the rug at the time. In the 2018 story he calls the incident traumatic, and revealed the details of the alleged incident, saying:

At the time of that story Berk denied these allegations, claiming it was a joke. And while the HFPA issued a statement standing against sexual harassment, their investigation didn’t result in his firing. Instead he would be dismissed in 2021, over controversial statements he made about the Black Lives Matter movement. But despite this change, it’s clear that Brendan Fraser still has some very strong feelings about the Hollywood Foreign Press. So much so that he won’t be attending the Golden Globes, despite being honored for his performance in The Whale. We’ll just have to see if he ends up winning for his category, and how the ceremony will approach that. Only time will tell.

The Whale is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. The Brenaissance will continue, as he’s got exciting roles in projects like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

As countless movies have shown us, we all love a great comeback story. Counterbalancing the disappointment that comes when an individual fails to live up to or take advantage of their potential, their successful return is an affirmation that talents can fade, but also resurge. This is the magic of the Brenaissance. Millennials grew up on the films of Brendan Fraser – from School Ties, to Airheads, to George Of The Jungle, to The Mummy – and after a few years out of the spotlight, he’s now being waved excitedly back into it as the world remembers what he can do at the top of his game.

Audiences have missed his charisma and goofy charm on the big screen. He’s an enchanting performer, and that’s accentuated in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale: a film that has the actor serving as a powerful, bright light in a dark pool of despair.

Of course, that Aronofsky would create something you wouldn’t describe as a pleasant movie-going experience is hardly surprising. Whether it’s the metaphorical horrors of climate change in mother!, the literal horrors of drug abuse in Requiem For A Dream, or the spinning descent into madness that is Black Swan, his movies are emotional endurance trials that never flinch from their subject matter. In that respect, The Whale is very much on brand, as we are locked in a small apartment with a 600-pound man who is on the verge of death from congestive heart failure, but while it’s notably buoyed by its star’s natural sparkle, the movie is also a harsh watch that is rooted in a questionable perspective.

Brendan Fraser plays Charlie, an English teacher who hosts classes remotely and begins the film barely surviving a cardiac episode. His closest friend, Liz (Hong Chau), who happens to be a nurse, warns him that he is going to die if he doesn’t go to the hospital, but Charlie explains that he has neither health insurance nor the money to pay for the medical bills. Accepting his fate and resigning himself to death, he strives to find some closure in his life by reconnecting with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink).

In the days that follow, Charlie bribes Ellie to spend time with him in exchange for doing her English homework so that she doesn’t fail out of school, and he gets regular visits from a religious missionary (Ty Simpkins) who believes that he is meant to “save” the protagonist. Through these encounters and time with Liz, he confronts his life’s hard choices and the devastating loss of the love of his life.

Heavy and depressing as The Whale is, Brendan Fraser’s captivating and powerful performance lifts your heart.

The Whale is based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, and if that’s something you don’t know before the film stars, it’s something that becomes very obvious as you watch. Save for a couple extremely brief moments and some ventures out on to the porch, the action is a lot like Charlie in that it is confined to the character’s dingy, messy, yellowed home. What prevents the movie from feeling like a noxious trap, however, is what Brendan Fraser can do and the lightness that he has as a performer. As dark and dire as the character study gets, and as off-putting as he is meant to be presented, Charlie has his own kind of irrepressible optimism that is magnetic through the misery.

While the protagonist may be on the verge of death, his passion and love is what keeps him alive, and keeps that front and center. When Charlie has Ellie write something for him in notebook, he doesn’t get upset that she comments on the smell of the apartment or that she hates everyone; he giggles when he discovers that what she is written is in the structure of a haiku. His life is portrayed as unpleasant and gross, but Fraser provides the work with a special effervescence that lets us see the humanity of the man we don’t see in the filmmaking. In a lot of ugliness, his love of the written word is beautiful, and that love is fully registered through his performance.

Obviously there is remarkable sadness as well, and the range showcased by the actor is phenomenal and heartbreaking. Charlie is motivated through his teaching and his desire to see his daughter have a good life, but he is also trapped in a state of mourning for the man that he loved, and Brendan Fraser makes the pain real and palpable. We see dimensions of the actor we’ve never had the opportunity to see before in The Whale, and it’s the best he’s ever been – and hopefully it’s one of many great performances still to come from his rejuvenated career.

Fatphobia criticisms against The Whale are justified with its mixed perspective of horror and intense pity.

Powerful and emotionally rich as Fraser’s performance is, however, the film does have a problematic viewpoint. While it might be a step to far to call it exploitative (in the sense of the film trying to elicit shock), the movie does have a way of stripping away Charlie’s personhood as he is rendered as a kind of pitiful creature that other characters either look on as a soul in need of saving or a disgusting horror. On a cold, technical level, the work is impressive, as the physical transformation the actor undergoes is startlingly realistic, but its portrayal of obesity will justifiably upset some people.

The Whale on the whole is going to earn a divisive response – again, let’s not forget that this is from the same filmmaker whose last movie had the distinction of earning an “F” grade from CinemaScore. Many are going to hate it for the bad taste it leaves in one’s mouth, but it also creates tremendous possibilities for Brendan Fraser back on the big screen, and that and what he does here as Charlie is worthy of appreciation.

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Brendan Fraser in his upcoming movie The Whale. The Darren Aronofsky movie was already generating 2023 Oscars buzz when it received a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival that had the actor “smiling so hard my face leaked” (it was quite the emotional reaction), and then it won the Tribute Award at the Toronto International Film Festival a week later. With the feature finally about to hit theaters December 9, the critics are putting in their two cents on the performance that many think will result in Fraser taking home the Best Actor trophy at next year’s Academy Awards. Let’s see what they’re saying.

The Whale stars Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a 600-pound man with congestive heart failure. Sadie Sink plays his daughter Ellie, whom Charlie is trying to reconnect with, and Samantha Morton, Hong Chau and Ty Simpkins also star. The critics have a lot of thoughts about the movie overall, but let’s see what they’re saying about the leading actor’s performance, starting with CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell. In his spoiler-free video review, he says this needs to be on your “must see” list ahead of the 2023 Academy Awards, because he doesn’t see anyone giving a more moving or effective performance than Fraser. O’Connell rates the film 4.5 stars out of 5, and you can check out his full breakdown below: 

Abhishek Sharma of Film Threat rates The Whale 10 out of 10, saying that Brendan Fraser adds a gentleness to the portrayal of Charlie as the movie takes audiences on a journey through several distinct levels of heartbreak. In the critic’s words:

Brian Truitt of USA TODAY says the leading actor is the main reason this whole premise works, rating the movie a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. The critic calls it a “big-hearted triumph” for the Brendan Fraser, who should be expecting that Oscar nod: 

Dana Stevens of Slate, however, isn’t a fan of the movie, whose problems she says only begin with its fatphobia. Its voyeurism is thinly disguised as compassion, the critic argues, but Brendan Fraser is still “superb,” as the movie contrasts the actor’s imposing physical presence with his gentleness. The review continues: 

A lot of conversation around the film has centered around the prosthetics, and Brendan Fraser even spoke out to defend the movie’s use of a body suit. Many are saying it’s the actor who is able to make the story work, including Roger Moore of Movie Nation. He rates The Whale 3 stars out of 4, calling Fraser’s effort “the performance of a lifetime”: 

If you’re interested in getting in on the conversation surrounding Brendan Fraser’s role in The Whale, or if you’re paying attention to potential Oscar winners, you’ll likely want to catch this one when it hits the big screen on Friday, December 9. Also get more insight into the actors’ performances by checking out CinemaBlend’s interviews with The Whale stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and more. 

With this year quickly coming to an end, you can get a look ahead at what’s hitting theaters next year with our 2023 Movie Release Schedule. 

Brendan Fraser is currently the talk of Hollywood as he is expected to be in the running for many of awards season’s top prizes including the Oscar thanks to his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. In this case, the Hollywood elite are really just catching up to a large portion of the public, who had already decided that Brendan Fraser was a massive talent, though the film’s director admits he had no idea the actor was so popular.

Even before Darren Aronofsky cast Brendan Fraser in The Whale we were experiencing a period that was being called the Brenaissance, as Fraser, a pretty big star back in the 1990s, had put together a pretty solid comeback story. One might think that Fraser’s return to stardom might have had an impact on his being cast in The Whale, but the director recently told Slashfilm that’s not the case, as he wasn’t really aware of the hype surrounding the actor. Aronofsky explained… 

Not only was Darren Aronofsky not aware of the strong fan base surrounding Brendan Fraser today, he apparently hadn’t seen a lot of the movies that had made the actor a star previously. He was certainly aware of Fraser's work in a general sense, as the actor says Aronofsky was looking for an actor with a career similar to his when he was casting the role.

Specifically, what Darren Aronofsky hadn’t seen of Brendan Fraser’s work were the dramatic roles he had done. The actor was mostly known during his heyday for action movies like The Mummy or for comedies like Encino Man or George of the Jungle. It was apparently when the director got a glimpse of Fraser’s dramatic work that he realized he might be the right fit for the lead. He continued…  

 While The Whale hasn’t gone without criticism regarding its casting decision, few have had anything but praise for Brendan Fraser in his performance. The actor is truly being celebrated right now. 

As Brendan Fraser’s critically-acclaimed The Whale performance enters Oscar season, the actor is sharing the experience with his children. Though, they’re not exactly kids anymore. As Fraser posed alongside two of his three sons, who all attended a New York City screening of The Whale on Tuesday evening, you can see they’re all grown up. 

In a rare public outing with his family, Brendan Fraser’s youngest sons, 18-year-old Holden and 16-year-old Leland walked the carpet with their famous father. Not hard to tell their dad is a movie star, is it? 

His eldest son, 20-year-old Griffin was missing from the photo op. As Fraser has opened up recently to Interview Magazine, Griffin is on the autism spectrum, 6’5 and lives with obesity. In The Whale, Fraser plays a 600 pound man named Charlie who seeks to reconnect with his teenage daughter, played by Sadie Sink. In Fraser’s words: 

Fraser had his three sons with ex-wife Afton Smith, who he was married to for nine years before they got divorced in 2007. The star of The Mummy movies was with his longtime partner, makeup artist Jeanne Moore, at the screening in addition to his sons showing support. 

The 53-year-old actor also shared the night at Alice Tully Hall with the filmmakers and cast, including director Darren Aronofsky. The Whale was first screened at the Venice Film Festival in September, where the movie was welcomed with a six-minute standing ovation that left Fraser emotional and in happy tears. 

When reflecting on the moment, Fraser called the appreciation for his performance in that moment “powerful’ stuff. As Brendan Fraser’s performance in The Whale gets all this acclaim, people are calling this moment in his career the “Brennaissance”. The actor is also set to star in Martin Scorsese’s next movie, Killers of the Flower Moon and would have been the villain of Batgirl, had it not been cancelled by Warner Bros. 

Brendan Fraser is currently No. 1 in expert predictions for Best Actor at the Oscars, per Gold Derby. As The Whale trailer also showcases, tons of critics are raving over the movie, calling Fraser’s performance one that is “gutting,” one that will “floor” you and an “utter triumph.” Since the movie centers on a father’s relationship with his child, it’s great to see his kids part of his most recent The Whale event. You can catch the 2022 movie release in theaters on December 9.  

All hail the Brenaissance! Between movies like The Mummy and George Of The Jungle, Brendan Fraser was a staple talent of the ‘90s and ‘00s, until he wasn’t. While the actor never completely left Hollywood, he's only truly stepped back into the spotlight over the past year. And during this time, many have showered him with praise for his powerhouse performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. The biggest instance of that occurred during the prestigious Venice Film Festival, where Fraser received a 6-minute standing ovation that left him with tears in his eyes. Now, the star is opening about how that moment felt.

In many ways, The Whale is a perfect showcase for Brendan Fraser. The star is unrecognizable in the role of a 600-pound English teacher and recluse who seeks to reconnect with his teen daughter, played by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. When Fraser was asked to reflect on his emotional standing ovation at Venice, he said this: 

The moment when Brendan Fraser became moved by the response to the movie and his performance was captured by Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh. Check it out: 

While speaking to GQ, Fraser reframed the fact that he was crying by sharing that the description doesn’t match the way he felt during the rounds of applause. Fraser said he was “smiling so hard” that water began coming out of his face. As I like to say, it was a “happy cry” or an overwhelm of emotion that came over him. Fraser continued, saying: 

The microscope he’s referring to is the Venice Film Festival atmosphere, which is incredibly specific. During the event, attendees get to see some of the best movie's the industry has to offer. So when one receives the amount of love and celebration that Brendan Fraser got during his premiere, it's a very big deal. Fraser is currently No. 1 on Gold Derby’s predictions for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, so chances are he'll continue to receive praise as awards season pushes on. Even his Mummy Returns co-star, Dwayne Johnson, is rooting for him to win an Oscar.

Fraser previously discussed the response to his performance in The Whale, calling it “so affirming” and “emotional," as he's grateful that his work is “making an impact.” The level of acclaim is something that the actor says is “completely new” in his professional life. Of course, many of us were impacted by his more lighthearted roles in the past, but one can't help but get the sense that Darren Aronofsky's drama film marks a new chapter for the beloved actor. One can only hope that it's only the first of many more gigs that Fraser receives as time goes on.

The Whale, which also marks Darren Aronofsky’s first movie since 2017’s Mother! is shaping up to be one of the most notable films of the year. And with the hype surrounding Fraser's work, you can bet that there will be plenty of people eager to see it when it opens in theaters on December 9 as part of the schedule of upcoming movies.

As we’ve seen the Brenaissance resurrecting Brendan Fraser career, one upcoming movie in particular seems to be at the heart of it is all. As festival audiences have praised director Darren Aronofsky’s hotly anticipated adaptation of The Whale, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding that picture. Oscar buzz has been strong for Fraser in particular, and now you can see why, as the movie’s first trailer has revealed pieces of that emotional performance.

Unveiled by studio A24, the first footage for The Whale is still pretty cryptic about the project on the whole. Showing the world of protagonist Charle (Brendan Fraser) in short moments, we see his surroundings and some of the people that he’ll interact with in this adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play

As we finally get that first look at the 600 lb. Charlie, you could practically feel your tear ducts being poked. Of course, it doesn’t help that we see co-stars Hong Chou and Sadie Sink crying in this very trailer, which only primes the waterworks all the more effectively for the critical darling from this year’s festivals. Despite looking to be rather sick, Brendan Fraser still has a message of hope he delivers to an unseen recipient; and he delivers it with the utmost tenderness.

Though The Whale has received ovations and praise that has built a nice head of buzz heading into awards season, there’s also been some backlash. Fraser’s performance in a prosthetic body suit to give him the proper appearance has been criticised by Bros actor Guy Branum, among others. But even in those criticisms, Brendan Fraser’s comeback arc is still seen as something that’s worthy of celebration.

Perhaps that’s why the teaser for The Whale has been a long time coming, and only shows off so much of the movie. The studio may be trying to maintain an air of mystery surrounding the total package, in hopes that the world will reserve judgement until they’ve seen the movie in its entirety. 

Going by these short looks, it seems that even in spite of such controversy, the cast of The Whale haven’t taken for granted the type of movie they’re in. Some have said that Best Actor already belongs to Brendan Fraser at the Oscars. While it’s not exactly an extended look into his performance, the trailer to The Whale does seem to back where those sentiments are coming from. 

Again, we’ll have to wait to see the full film before really digging into what it means for the rest of the field in this year’s competition. All we do know is, there’s definitely going to be tears in the theater when The Whale opens in theaters.

The Whale is set to debut in theaters on December 9th. Meanwhile, Brendan Fraser fans can get their fix a day earlier, as Doom Patrol Season 4 is set to premiere on December 8th. Make sure your HBO Max subscription is current, just in case you want to enjoy that off the wall fun before or after wrecking yourself with this emotional epic.

We’re currently in the middle of Brendan Fraser’s big Hollywood comeback, which has been lovingly referred to by fans as both the Brenaissance and Frasersance. One of the projects responsible for this change is The Whale, which has earned the actor both acclaim (including Oscars chatter) and some backlash for donning a fat suit to play the obese protagonist. And after Fraser commented on said backlash, director Darren Aronofsky gets candid about what the casting process looked like.

Brendan Fraser plays Charlie in The Whale, who is a 600 pound man attempting to reconnect with his daughter (Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink) seemingly before his impending death. While Fraser has been awarded for his performance in the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, there’s been some push back about him using prosthesis and a fat suit to play the role. Darren Aronofsky recently spoke to Variety about the challenge of finding the right actor for this intense role, saying:

There’s been a ton of conversation over the last few years about the importance of representation and inclusion within the media. We’ve seen plenty of major steps forward in this regard, but there have been recent major examples of actors using fat suits, like Sarah Paulson’s Linda Tripp in Impeachment. And the same sort of discourse is currently surrounding The Whale, although the majority of folks haven’t actually seen the upcoming drama.

Darren Aronofsky’s comments to Variety revealed that Brendan Fraser’s casting in The Whale wasn’t always a sure thing. And it turns out that they did audition actors of size, although the specifics of Charlie’s weight seemingly complicated things. The Black Swan filmmaker further explained how finding an actor that was accurately sized for the role would seemingly be difficult during the long and grueling filming process. As he put it,

The action of The Whale is set within Charlie’s apartment, as he seemingly hasn’t left the premises in quite some time. Throughout the movie’s runtime, he struggles with physical tasks like standing up, and has some emotionally and physically grueling sequences. And according to Darren Aronofsky, the movie seemingly would have been more difficult to film if the lead actor was actually an accurate weight to its protagonist.

In the end Brendan Fraser used both prosthesis and a fat suit in order to transform into Charlie and film The Whale for its month-long shooting period. Darren Aronofsky explained what the Mummy actor was able to bring to their meeting, which inspired him to finally move forward with the long-gestating project. In his words,

Indeed, Brendan Fraser’s performance has been universally acclaimed as The Whale had early screenings at various film festivals. Although there has been discourse about his casting, with Mean Girls actor Daniel Frazese taking umbrage as an actor who self-identifies as both queer and obese. And the conversations around this casting will likely only continue once the project finally gets its wide release. 

For his part, Fraser recently responded to the backlash, maintaining he tried to bring as much heart to Charlie in The Whale as possible. He also reminded the public that he’s no longer got the ripped physique from The Mummy or George of the Jungle. 

The Whale is expected to arrive in theaters on December 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Brendan Fraser’s Hollywood comeback is in full swing, as the beloved actor has received massive praise for his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. As a result, some have already declared Fraser to be the Best Actor frontrunner for this year’s Oscars race. Despite the praise though, the star has received some criticism due to the fact that he donned a fat suit to play the lead role in the drama. A number of notable stars have spoken out on the matter as of late and, now, Fraser himself is addressing the critiques he’s received. 

Many have argued that when it came to The Whale, Darren Aronofsky should’ve opted to cast an actor who was actually closer in size to the movie’s lead character, Charlie, who’s meant to be 600 pounds. Brendan Fraser addressed the controversy during an interview with Newsweek. In doing so, the actor referenced his own physique while referencing one aspect of the discourse: 

Based on his comments, it would seem that the Mummy alum isn’t sure who would’ve been the optimal candidate for such a role. He also conveys that his goal was to give an authentic performance for the drama. That approach seems to have paid off, as the actor has since received a TIFF Award and other honors so far. However, that praise doesn’t exactly quell any of the honest feelings that some have shared.

Mean Girls alum Daniel Franzese is among those who’s shared thoughts on the matter. While the actor is happy for Brendan Fraser amid his comeback, he did question why a larger actor couldn’t be cast for the role instead of a performer who needed to use a fat suit. Fraser’s character is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and Franzese also opined that a queer actor could’ve been tapped for the role. Bros star Guy Branum – who’s also rooting for Fraser during this period of his career – also asked that filmmakers consider “how much we are representing queer life and fat life through straight actors or prosthetics.” 

Darren Aronofsky, who’s formed a tight bond with Brendan Fraser, also discussed the backlash while speaking with Newsweek. With this, the director argues that for this particular role, it would’ve been difficult to cast an actor who didn’t seem some kind of prosthetics to pull off the performance:

Only time will tell how the general public will react to Brendan Fraser and Darren Aronofsky’s analysis of the controversy. As for Fraser’s performance, we’ll just have to wait and see what he delivers when the film opens in theaters on December 9 as part of the schedule of upcoming movies.

This year, Brendan Fraser is making his return to the big screen, starring in Darren Aronofsky’s movie The Whale, which is based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter of the same name. The story follows an obese gay man who is trying to reconnect with his daughter. Now, Guy Branum, who recently starred in Bros, discussed his thoughts on Fraser’s casting and the source material the Aronofsky film is based on. 

Critics have praised the movie and specifically Fraser’s performance; some are even saying the race for Best Actor at the Oscars may already be over. However, people are also criticizing Fraser’s casting as the character. The Bros cast member explained that he has “real problems” with them casting a straight actor who “is not very fat” and had to use prosthetics on Fraser in the movie. Branum explained his feelings to Pride.

Daniel Franzese also shared a similar thought recently about the choice to cast Fraser in The Whale. The actor, who is best known for his role as Damian in Mean Girls, explained that while he’s happy for the star, he also questions the use of prosthetics in the movie to make him look like he’s 600 pounds. Franzese said that while there could have gone with “me and the other big queer guys” they decided to cast elsewhere, and that has been frustrating. 

Branum's co-star in Bros Billy Eichner has also spoken out about the topic of straight people playing LGBTQ+ roles in Hollywood for a while. Last year he responded to Aaron Sorkin’s comments about representative casting, saying Sorkin was “ignorant” to how Hollywood has “treated its openly LGBTQ+ actors for a century.” So, the idea is not relegated to The Whale.

Along with the film’s representation, Branum also noted he had an issue with the movie's source material. He said: 

While both Branum and Franzese have been critical of the flick and its casting, they both noted they were excited to see Fraser back on the big screen. When the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival it received a standing ovation making the actor emotional. Fraser also won an acting award at the Toronto International Film Festival for The Whale and fans celebrated his performance on social media. 

As The Whale's gets closer to release on the 2022 movie schedule, it will be interesting to see how the conversation evolves around the decision to cast Fraser and the film's source material. You can catch The Whale in theaters on December 9, and watch Branum in Bros, in theaters now. 

Brendan Fraser has become the talk of Hollywood recently thanks to his starring turn in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Some are already talking about an Oscar nomination for the performance. Fraser is just the latest big name to be involved in one of the director’s films, and the director captured a beautiful moment between Fraser and another Aronofsky alum, Hugh Jackman, and Jackman loves it too.

Darren Aronofsky posted the picture to Instagram that shows Hugh Jackman and Brendan Fraser together backstage during the recent Toronto International Film Festival. Jackman has a big smile on his face, while Fraser actually looks completely shocked by something. This may have been just before, or just after, Fraser received the TIFF Tribute Award, which would explain the shock, video of the event shows Fraser completely speechless. Hugh Jackman reposted the image himself, with a simple heart added to the pic to show how happy he was at Aronofsky’s kind words. 

Darren Aronofsky called Fraser and Jackman “two of the greatest thespians and humans I know” which is about the greatest compliment one can possibly expect. Jackman, who previously starred in Aronofsky’s The Fountain, certainly appreciated the sentiment based on his response. Brendan Fraser has been dealing with an onslaught of praise for his performance in The Whale and is clearly taken aback by the positive reception he has been getting from both his peers and fans alike. 

One assumes that based on this picture, Hugh Jackman is one of the fans of Brendan Fraser that is happy to see his renewed success. It’s been nearly 20 years since the height of Fraser’s fame in the Mummy franchise. While he has continued to find work, he was involved in much smaller projects for a number of years. Fraser says that was in part due to be blacklisted after suffering sexual harassment from a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 

Brendan Fraser returned to the small screen with DC’s Doom Patrol where he received a lot of praise. He was also set to be in the HBO Max Batgirl movie, before that film was canceled mid-production. It will likely never see the light of day. Still, The Whale seems to solidify Fraser’s comeback.

It will be interesting to see what comes next for Brendan Fraser, whether or not there is a gold statue in his future, he has clearly made waves in Hollywood that have been noticed, that will almost certainly lead to more opportunities for him going forward. Maybe there’s an an opportunity for Brendan Fraser and Hugh Jackman to co-star in a future Darren Aronofsky movie. He clearly loves them and loves working with them. 

Brendan Fraser is leading the race the for Best Actor Oscar this year with his role in Darren Aronofsky’s "The Whale." Managing Editor Sean O’Connell saw the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and is here with his spoiler-free review of the film's performances, including Fraser and co-star Sadie Sink, as well as the incredible direction by Aronofsky.

Video Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:54 - Give Brendan Fraser The Oscar

03:57 - Sadie Sink Shines

05:51 - One of Darren Aronofsky’s Best

07:54 - Star Rating & Outro

Brendon Fraser is getting a lot of praise for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, and it’s about time. Fraser is at the start of a “Brenaissance,” which is what fans are lovingly calling his return to Hollywood. His return to the silver screen seems to be welcomed with open arms, and he clearly is very happy to be back, given his reaction to the crowd at the world premiere of The Whale.

This weekend at the Venice Film Festival, The Whale was screened for an audience. The reception of the film was electric, and Fraser received a 6 minute standing ovation, a major achievement at a festival. He is seen sitting to applaud the director, but Aronofsky encourages him to stand up, and accept the warm praise from the crowd. When he does, the crowd roars louder. Fraser was overwhelmed by the reaction to his performance, clearly not expecting such a boisterous reception. He is incredibly moved, and shed a few tears in response. You can see a video of the emotional moment below.

This reaction to his work is well deserved, and a triumph for the actor. Fraser’s career declined while dealing with personal tragedies, health problems, and industry response to opening up about being groped by the president of the Hollywood Forgein Press. After the incident, Fraser felt he was blacklisted from Hollywood and struggled to be cast in parts. 

Things are thankfully turning around for The Mummy actor. He will be starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which will be available for AppleTV+ subscribers later this year. He has also recently starred in DC’s Doom Patrol series for HBO Max. In addition, he was set to play Firefly in the Batgirl film for HBO Max, before the film was pulled as a result of Warner Brother’s restructuring their streaming platform.

The Venice Film Festival is not the only audience showing praise for The Whale. The film will also be screened for an audience at the Toronto International Film Festival where Fraser will receive the prestigious TIFF Tribute Award. Critics who have viewed the film have also showered Fraser with praise for his transformative role, and the project is already receiving Oscar buzz for the actor. 

Fraser might be receiving praise because of how much this film showcases his range as an actor. This part is a far cry from George of the Jungle and The Mummy. In The Whale, Fraser is playing an obese English teacher with a binge eating disorder and depression. His character is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter after he left the family years ago for his gay lover. It is an extremely nuanced and complex character that needed to be played earnestly. Fraser was aware of this, and felt it was the perfect way to reintroduce himself to Hollywood as a character actor. 

The Whale is produced by A24, and will be released theatrically in the United States on December 9, 2022. For more information on films releasing later this year, check out our 2022 movie release schedule. 

Before it was even seen by critics, The Whale was already generating Oscar buzz. The drama from A24 starring Brendan Fraser is the adaptation of a play about a 600-pound man trying to reconnect with his daughter. Along with Fraser, who has delighted fans by making a career comeback, the film stars Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), Hong Chau and Samantha Morton. Critics were impressed by the first looks at The Whale, but after the movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, they’ve definitely got a lot more to say.

Darren Aronofsky’s latest venture has already taken a step in the right direction, if it is, in fact, going to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The movie reportedly received a 6-minute standing ovation at its premiere, and Brendan Fraser is set to accept the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Tribute Award — an honor that is often followed by an Academy Award nomination. So let’s get to the reviews, starting with Games Radar+’s Jane Crowther. This critic rates the movie 4 stars out of 5, saying Fraser delivers a career-best performance, and the cast around him is equally as impressive: 

Leila Latif of IndieWire grades the movie a B-, saying Brendan Fraser is the reason this movie works so well, as he’s able to deliver a performance both funny and devastating. The critic says: 

While some critics aren’t super comfortable with the movie’s use of a fat suit, BBC Culture critic Nicholas Barber is impressed at the range of expression Brendan Fraser conveys. He rates The Whale 3 out of 5 stars, saying: 

Damon Wise of Deadline also notes that Brendan Fraser’s performance and Darren Aronofsky’s direction transcend the makeup. From the review: 

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says the movie as a whole isn’t as strong as its leading actor’s performance, but for Brendan Fraser, The Whale deserves to be seen. The critic says: 

The critics seem to be in agreement about Brendan Fraser and his reintroduction to Hollywood via this movie, so it will definitely be interesting to see what recognition comes from it. Audiences still have a while to wait before being able to catch this movie in theaters. The Whale is set for theatrical release on Friday, December 9. In the meantime, check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what else is coming soon! 

Brendan Fraser could have quietly returned back to the big screen in a small role that only people of the ‘90s and 2000s would have recognized him. But instead, he decided to really show audiences he is back and that his years of obscurity have not taken away his incredible talent. This 53-year-old actor explains why his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale was the perfect way to reintroduce himself to Hollywood. 

A movie still can really say a thousand words or have a number of fans already predicting an Oscar for you. Vanity Fair reported that after Black Swan’s Darren Aronofsky saw Samuel D. Hunter’s play The Whale for the first time, he was so moved by what he saw that he had to adapt this play. After Hunter wrote the screenplay, the challenge would be finding an actor to play the lead role of Charlie, a 600-pound man with aspirations to make a comeback into his daughter’s life. Even if this role was outside of himself, Fraser has said he understood the feeling of wanting to make a comeback.

Brendan Fraser was considered to be a major star in the ‘90s and early 2000s of Hollywood with his best movies being The Mummy franchise, George of the Jungle, Airheads, School Ties, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and more. While he’s been in edgier films like in Bill Condon’s Gods and Monsters, The Whale would be a role that Fraser could sink his teeth into that's very different from him with physical and emotional demands. The American-Canadian actor knew this would be a fantastic opportunity to test his craft and “disappear” into the role.

Playing the role of Charlie, a reclusive online English teacher living with life-threatening obesity, was not something that the Doom Patrol actor was going to ease into. He spent months deep in research with the help of the Obesity Action Coalition to learn everything he could about obesity. He also spoke to people who have gone through bariatric surgeries and watched mediums of different genres to see how obesity has been portrayed in the past. Having to wear a prosthetic suit that helped him carry on 50 to 300 extra pounds helped Fraser delve into Charlie’s skin and show that carrying so much weight can limit your mobility.  

Ever since the moment Brendan Fraser decided to make a Hollywood comeback, the Brenaissance training has been rolling at a great speed for him. While the personal tragedies like grieving the death of his mother and the sexual assault allegations against an HFPA member held him back, great things have come to the Screen Actors Guild Award winner. He joined Martin Scorsese’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro as well as a role in the upcoming Ethan Cohen-directed comedy Brothers with Josh Brolin. With talks of an Encino Man sequel, this returning actor may even revisit another classic part of his.

The Whale hasn’t even hit the big screen yet and already Brendan Fraser has won a major award for it as the recipient of the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Tribute Award. It’s only a matter of time before Fraser will have to make space on his shelf for that Oscar trophy. We have yet to see the full-body transformation that this dedicated actor has gone through with A24 only releasing a facial shot of Fraser’s character Charlie. However, just that one picture alone shows that we have a lot to look forward to as we all board the Brenaissance train once The Whale hits theaters.

Brendan Fraser’s new role in The Whale will be a great way for audiences of previous generations and today to be reintroduced to this stellar actor all over again. The anticipation for this upcoming movie will be big but well-deserved as it comes to theaters on December 9th with its world premiere coming at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4.

Brendan Fraser, known for hits like The Mummy trilogy, School Ties, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, hasn't had the ubiquitous big screen presence in the past few years that he's had in the past – but a moment with his beloved horse gave him the realization it was time to come back to movies, and the Brenaissance was born. Now, after A24 dropped its first look at Frasier’s new movie The Whale, fans already think The Academy should already just give this American-Canadian actor his Oscar trophy.

With the lead role in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, Brendan Fraser is playing a 600-pound man who’s trying to reconnect with his daughter after abandoning his family for his lover years ago. The first shot of Fraser in full makeup and costume was shared on A24's Instagram, and fans have been on social media saying that based on what A24 has revealed so far about the upcoming movie, the Inkheart actor should already be earning Oscar buzz. In a Tweet below, one fan posted a meme of Robert De Niro from The Irishman saying “Let’s go, girls” while promoting the idea of starting an awards campaign immediately, writing:

In another post on Twitter, a fan retweeted a shot of Brendan Fraser in The Whale. with a caption suggesting that the actor better start practicing multiple speeches, as he may be picking up a lot of trophies while on the road to his first Academy Award:

Featuring a bit of an alternative energy, another Twitter response to The Whale's first look is an all-caps blast of excitement that Brendan Fraser is undergoing a major transformation:

If Brendan Fraser were to win an Oscar just as his Brenaissance train is getting going, that would be such a big deal to the star and his career. Having lost his mother to cancer and suffering from depression, he’s been through a lot of hardship, making his break from Hollywood understandable. (Not to mention the overwhelming emotions that came from his financial struggles after his divorce and allegedly being groped by a member of the HFPA.) It’s exciting that Fraser is in a better place now mentally and ready to show audiences he’s still got it.

Another reaction to the first glance at Brendan Fraser in The Whale claims that this should actually be this second time possibly getting Oscar attention. It reads:

If the 53-year-old actor can get award recognition just as he’s making his way towards a comeback, it’ll show that Hollywood and fans alike are welcoming him back with open arms. Other than The Whale, Fraser's list of upcoming credits includes Brothers (from the director of Palm Springs) Behind the Curtain of the Night, and Martin Scorsese’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon. Until these movies hit the big screen, you can presently watch his excellent work as Cliffe Steele a.k.a. Robotman in the DC Universe series Doom Patrol – which is available with your HBO Max subscription. 

Darren Aronofsky movies, like Pi, Requiem For a Dream, and Black Swan, are like nothing else out there, which is both to the director’s credit and maybe even to his detriment. Now, given what he’s done in the past, I highly doubt that he would even want to take on a Marvel movie these days or some other big tentpole project. But I also wouldn’t want to see a Darren Aronofsky Thor, or even that Batman flick he was supposed to do years ago. And this is because as grand and ambitious as Aronofsky’s movies are, his films are also extremely small and personal, which is why some of his movies really resonate broadly with audiences, while others feel like niche cult movies that only two or three people will enjoy.

But this is what also what makes Darren Aronofsky one of my favorite directors of all time. He makes Paul Thomas Anderson-quality films, but with way more nihilism. He filmed some of The Wrestler in my hometown of Dover, NJ, and while watching Mickey Rourke deliver his powerful final speech, I was amazed that this was the same director who made the maddening masterpiece, Pi, since the subject matter was completely different, but it still had that same undercurrent of darkness. Aronofsky’s next movie is The Whale, which is about a man with severe obesity, starring Brenden Fraser. But until that release, I thought it would be interesting to rank every one of Aronofsky’s films. Oh, and when you’re done reading this, please take the poll at the end. I’m interested to see what you think is his very best work. Everybody seems to have a different opinion of his oeuvre.

7. Noah (2014)

Darren Aronofsky’s most commercially successful movie (I’m serious), and the only PG-13 movie in his filmography, Noah suffers, not for ambition-sake, but because it doesn’t really know what it wants to be. It’s a big budget movie featuring warring factions and rock monsters, but also an extremely personal movie about a flawed man who thinks he’s screwed up everything since he wasn’t sure if he read God’s signs correctly. Out of the two films it tries to be, I think the second one is much more interesting, but we don’t really get nearly enough of that, as CG overwhelms this film.

Noah is an audacious film, and one that I really want to like, but it ends up falling flat. Russell Crowe is an interesting choice for Noah, as you can see the torment in his eyes, but the rest of the film is kind of lopsided. I don’t want to call a mess, so I’ll just say it’s not for me.

6. The Fountain (2006)

I want to be upfront. I don’t get The Fountain. At least, not all of it. Starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, nestled in this cosmic love story are tales about a conquistador, a queen, and a scientist, and they’re all somehow connected through love and the quest for immortality. At least, I think that’s what’s going on here. In a lot of ways, I feel like it’s not the film that’s at fault, but me. Still, being me, I don’t love this movie.

Visually, it’s stunning, but I think it’s actually limited by its ambitious scope. What I mean is, whatever story it’s trying to tell is a bit marred by how epic it is. In that way, I feel like it’s trying to say so much, but not really saying much at all. Either way, The Fountain is a film I admire, but don’t necessarily like.

5. Black Swan (2010)

The film that garnered Natalie Portman the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress, Black Swan is a fever dream in the best sort of way. The story is about a ballerina who is caught between two roles and feels challenged by her understudy, played deftly by Mila Kunis. It’s labeled as a psychological horror thriller, and it definitely goes down that route. In fact, some scenes are downright terrifying.

Then again, doppelganger stories, like Us, terrify me. The mental collapse that Portman’s character endures is one for the ages, but it almost feels like the film around her is not as effective as her performance. I say almost, since it’s very close, and it’s an excellent movie. But I almost feel like it would have been better suited without Portman being just so good in her role as a paranoid ballerina.

4. Requiem For a Dream (2000)

Quite possibly the darkest movie in Aronofsky’s filmography, Requiem For a Dream is also that rare movie that I think is superior to the novel. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans in a rare serious role, Requiem for a Dream is all about the damaging effects of drug addiction in its many forms, and what it can lead a person to do.

Requiem for a Dream is not a horror movie, but it certainly feels like one. Most notably the Ellen Burstyn moments when she becomes addicted to amphetamines. The plot goes from bad, to worse, to oh my God, I want to kill myself watching this movie, in a very short time, and it’s extremely effective in its depiction of drug abuse. If I have one complaint, it’s that the Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans sections aren’t nearly as impactful as the Jennifer Connelly and Ellen Burstyn sections, but it’s a very small complaint.

3. Pi (1998)

The director’s debut picture, Pi, unnerves me like few other films. I called Black Swan a fever dream, but Pi is like a fever NIGHTMARE. It’s about an unemployed mathematician who sees numbers in everything. This somehow ties into the stock market and how people can make predictions through math, or maybe even find God through math, and, no, oh no. I’m going down that rabbit hole again! Somebody help me, please!

Seriously, though, the film is just all consuming. It’s really the tone that sets Pi apart from other films, even within the director’s own filmography. The film is paranoia personified, and you really feel your skin crawling throughout its runtime. The black and white also helps. It’s rare that a debut film can set a director off on such an auspicious future, but Pi is that rare film that does it. It’s still highly effective, even today.

2. mother! (2017)

Okay, so here’s my one controversial pick, but I love mother!. I mentioned up top that Aronofsky does sometimes make broad, audience friendly films. But he also makes extremely niche movies that very few people will like. And mother! is definitely the latter. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer, mother! combines the spiritualism (or lack thereof) of Noah, the claustrophobia of Pi, and the creepiness of Black Swan, and mixes them altogether in one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen.

I also think mother! is the kind of movie that people will appreciate in time. Upon first viewing, mother! is an unwieldy and weirdly aggressive movie. It’s a very angry film, and one that’s extremely off-putting. But there is something else lurking beneath the surface that is strangely alluring and even powerful. It’s more of a feeling than anything to do with the plot, and it’s one of the only films that has actively made me want to stop watching it. And anything that can disturb me that viscerally is excellent in my book.

The Wrestler (2008)

mother! is my favorite Aronofsky film, but The Wrestler is his best. I think it just might be because it’s so straightforward and direct. Mickey Rourke plays a washed-up wrestler who is estranged from his daughter. He tries to hold onto his glory days, but those years are long past, and we watch his struggle to come to grips with that.

The thing is, he never comes to grips with it, and like many of us who push ourselves way too hard despite our aging, The Wrestler is a testament to those of us who keep chasing our youth all the way to our graves. There really isn’t too much else to say besides the fact that it’s great. That’s just it. It’s great.

I honestly don’t think Aronofsky has made a “bad” film yet. But what do you think? Sound off in the pole below. And for news on 2021 movies or even 2022 movies, make sure to come back here often.

This poll is no longer available.

It’s been three years, and I still can’t stop thinking about Darren Aronofsky’s mother! is it one of the best horror movies of all time? Is it a horror movie at all? Is it a commentary on our abuse to the planet Earth? Is it an allegory for the Creation story? Is it both? Is it neither?

Honestly, if there’s one absolute about mother!, it’s that it’s a movie that will certainly make you feel something. Now, whether that’s a good feeling or a bad one is up to you, but I think it’s almost certain that you’ll walk away from mother! with serious thoughts on your mind. For me, the thoughts were heavy and confusing at first, like a nullifying drug stupor. But as I walked to my car, I wondered if I just witnessed a masterpiece or one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. But upon several viewings later, I’ve fallen into the former category, and I have five reasons why. Now, come along and touch the pulsating wall with me, please. Oh, and major spoilers up ahead, by the way.

The Acting, Particularly Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Lawrence, Is Top Notch

Okay, first off, mother! may have been the movie that ruined Jennifer Lawrence’s career. Or at the very least, put it on hold. Before mother!, Jennifer Lawrence was literally the girl on fire. But after mother!, she decided to take a pretty long hiatus from the limelight. But why?

Well, it’s definitely not because of her performance, since it’s impeccable in this movie. In fact, it’s probably the best she’s done since Silver Linings Playbook, especially since she’s supposed to represent a distressed and brutalized Mother Earth (more on that later). Actually, all of the acting is top-notch. Ed Harris as a grieving father (and stand in for Adam). Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife (and stand in for Eve), and Javier Bardem, in the most underappreciated role of his career, as a poet and stand in for God, are all at the top of their game. They draw you in long enough to entice you, only to curb stomp your soul. They really are amazing, and I honestly think they should have all been nominated for Oscars. Every last one of them.

It's An Arthouse Film Masquerading As A Horror Movie

I want you to watch the trailer for mother! Go ahead. I’ll wait… Okay, so that looks really scary, right? But… the actual movie is not. I mean, there are definitely some scenes that still traumatize me today more than anything I’ve ever seen in any other controversial movie. But mother! is not a horror movie. Not really.

Or at least, not in the traditional sense. If anything, it’s “a horror movie” like Mulholland Drive is a horror movie, or like Darren Aronofsky’s own Requiem For a Dream or Black Swan are horror movies. And by that, I mean it’s incredibly artistic, but also has a super creepy undertone, which makes it stick with you all the more so. That said, there’s such beauty in this film, and it’s super artsy. But underneath it all is a disgusting, pulsating, bloody heart, and it’s the kind of art that repulses you to the extent that you’ll never forget it. And that brings me to my next point.

It Made Me Feel Uncomfortable To The Point That I Wanted To Leave When I First Saw It

I’ve seen a lot of “the most disturbing movies ever” in my lifetime—Salo. A Serbian Film. Cannibal Holocaust. You name it!—But mother! is the only movie that I felt so uncomfortable watching that I seriously considered leaving the theater. It starts off slow, but the tension mounts considerably once Ed Harris’s and Michelle Pfeiffer’s character make themselves at home. Then, it quickly spirals out of control as the house gets tighter the more people start intruding. It gets to the point that it’s suffocating for both Jennifer Lawrence’s character, and the audience as well.

But then, that scene happens. I’m guessing you’ve seen the movie if you’re reading this article, but the scene where the baby gets its neck broken and IS THEN EATEN is the most disturbing scene I’ve ever seen in any movie. Ever. I rarely feel anything when I watch movies besides mild joy or sadness, but that scene repulsed me so much that I closed my eyes and just said, “No, no, no, no, no,” over and over again. It’s something that I’ve never experienced before in any movie, nor do I ever want to again. But I’m happy that I experienced it at least once.

It's Only As Deep As You Want To Be, But Incredibly Deep If You Do Want It To Be

The first time I watched mother!, I only kind of grasped its Biblical implications. It didn’t hit me until the two Gleeson brothers arrived, and then the younger brother, played by Brian Gleeson, is killed by Domhnall Gleeson’s character. I remember thinking, hmm… this seems vaguely familiar. But then I got so stifled by all the “guests” coming in, that I forgot that thought. But later, upon reading up on the film, I found that I was right to assume the allegorical nature of the movie, and it’s only gotten more interesting since.

Sure, you could view the story as just a bad relationship, or, you could view it as the story of Creation. Ed Harris has a wound in his side. Is that from the Spear of Destiny? Is Ed Harris Jesus? Or is he Adam? Is Javier Bardem’s character God? Is that why Ed Harris’s character has come to see Javier Bardem? To be one with his creator? Another question, is Ed Harris’s character even real, or is he just a creation from Javier Bardem’s character, who is a poet after all? A poet with writer’s block. Orrrrr, is this a story about an artist, writ large? Like, is Javier Bardem’s character meant to be Darren Aronofsky himself? I don’t know how many times I’ve gone down this rabbit hole in my mind, but it’s a lot, which brings me to my final point.

It Gets More And More Impressive The More Times You Watch It

I have now seen mother! ten times. That’s more times than any recent movie I can remember. But every time I watch it, the more impressive it gets. For one thing, remember that scene with the baby I mentioned earlier? It’s now my favorite part of the movie. Because it raises the question: Are we, the religious folk, supposed to be the crowd eating the baby, kind of like people eating the son of God every weekend at church? Is that what this is? When the people brutally beat up on Jennifer Lawrence’s character, is that us destroying our mother earth?

I mean, mother! is just such a bold and audacious film, and it kind of blows my mind that it came out, and then was just quickly forgotten by the general public. Like, did I miss something here? I guess I did! But even so, mother! certainly meant something to me, and it still does today.

But what about you? Did mother! impact you as much as it impacted me? Sound off in the poll below! Oh, and even though I don’t consider mother! a horror movie, why not check out a list of upcoming horror movies coming soon to really get your blood pumping?

This poll is no longer available.

In 2000, actor Jared Leto and director Darren Aronofsky collaborated together for the first time on Requiem for a Dream, the psychological drama exploring how four characters’ drug addictions take a toll on their physical and emotional health. Requiem for a Dream was a huge boost for Leto and Aronofsky’s careers, and they spent the next two decades traveling down separate professional paths. Now those paths are converging, as it’s been announced that they’re re-teaming a new movie called Adrift.

Based on a short story by Koji Suzuki (who also wrote Ring, the inspiration for The Ring franchise), Adrift centers on a fishing boat in the middle of the open sea that comes upon an abandoned yacht emitting a strange distress call. One of the fishing boat’s deckhands agrees to take control of the yacht as it’s towed into port, but he soon learns why the other crew members refer to it as a “ghost ship.” In addition to starring under Darren Aronofsky’s direction, Jared Leto is also producing Adrift alongside Emma Ludbrook through the actor’s Paradox production company. Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Carla Hacken are also attached as producers.

According to Deadline, after learning about Adrift, Jared Leto and Emma Ludbrook spent 10 years chasing down the rights to the short story, and once they’d accomplished that goal, they brought it to Darren Aronofsky and Jason Blum. While the Adrift film adaptation is expected to snag a buyer soon, it’s important to note that this will not be Aronofsky’s next movie. That honor already belongs to A24’s The Whale starring Brendan Fraser, but presumably Adrift will follow directly after.

Also starring Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans and Christopher McDonald, Requiem for a Dream was Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up to his directorial debut, 1998’s Pi, while Jared Leto’s prior film credits included The Thin Red Line, Fight Club and American Psycho a few months prior. While Requiem for a Dream was only a moderate box office success (making $7.4 million worldwide off a $4.5 million budget), it was met with a lot of positive critical reception and netted Burstyn Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Adrift now gets added to the growing lineup of Oscar winner Jared Leto’s upcoming projects. He’s already set to star in Ridley Scott’s Gucci, as well as lead and co-produce the third Tron movie, which is supposedly titled Tron: Ares. Leto is also keeping a firm foothold in the comic book movie realm not only by starring in Morbius (which is now arriving in early 2022), but also reprising The Joker for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. As for Darren Aronofsky, in addition to directing The Whale, he’s also a producer on the upcoming movies The Good Nurse and XOXO.

As we wait for more news about Adrift’s development, you can see Jared Leto next in The Little Things, the Warner Bros thriller that arrives in theaters and on HBO Max tomorrow, January 29. Darren Aronofsky’s last movie, mother!, is available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. If you’re curious what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2021 release schedule.

If you watched movies in the ‘90s, you probably know who Brendan Fraser is. From 1991 to 1999, he appeared in 22 movies, including Encino Man, George of the Jungle and The Mummy, the latter of which netted $416 million at the box office. The man was a staple of the ’90s and continued his career into the 2000s until taking a hiatus from film acting. Since then, he has worked primarily in television and has generated buzz for his role as Robotman in DC’s Doom Patrol. Now word's come in that Fraser will return to the big screen, as he’s reportedly landed a major role in Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky's upcoming project, The Whale. That’s right Fraser fans, he’s back!

Initially reported by Deadline, The Whale will be produced by independent film house A24, with Darren Aronofsky to direct and Brendan Fraser to lead. It will be the first film by the director since his traumatizing 2017 project, Mother!.

The Whale is based on the 2012 play of the same name, which was written by Samuel D. Hunter, who is also attached to adapt the film for A24. Brendan Fraser fans shouldn’t expect a George of the Jungle or Encino Man-esque comedy, as the plot for The Whale is extremely dark. Here's the synopsis of The Whale, per StageAgent:

How’s that for a bright and uplifting visit to the theater? It’s no surprise that this project caught the attention of Darren Aronofsky, as his films tend to have a more despondent outlook. A number of Arnofosky's films have even garnered controversy and disdain from audiences across the globe.

If The Whale is anything like Darren Aronofsky's past films, audiences can probably count on gloomy subject matter with shocking (and probably upsetting) sequences throughout. Regardless of how sad this film is inevitably going to make me feel, I'm elated that Brendan Fraser is back, baby!

I’m seriously thrilled he is getting back into movies, and with Darren Aronofsky and A24 no less! Brendan Fraser playing a suicidal 600-pound man in an Aronofsky film is almost so absurd it feels like an A24 bingo card, but you know what? I’m here for it. Put Brendan Fraser in everything, damn it. The man deserves it. We deserve it.

1998-2004 was a weird period for Batman, as following Batman & Robin getting a critical beatdown, Warner Bros was desperate to find a way to reinvent the Caped Crusader for the big screen. Ultimately Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins was chosen to launch a new cinematic era for the superhero, but before then, among the projects that were in consideration was a Darren Aronofsky-directed Batman movie.

Had the Requiem for a Dream filmmaker gotten to make the Batman movie he wanted, he would have cast Joaquin Phoenix as Bruce Wayne. However, it turns out that the main reason Darren Aronofsky left the project is because Warner Bros wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. for the main role. As Aronofsky put it:

Darren Aronofsky was working on his Batman movie from late 2000-2001; at that time, Joaquin Phoenix had appeared in movies like Parenthood and Gladiator, while Freddie Prinze Jr. was best known for feature like I Know What You Did Last Summer and She’s All That. Considering how much of a teen icon he was, one could certainly make the argument that Prinze was the more famous of the two back then, and evidently Warner Bros was interested in having a more “clean cut” Bruce Wayne.

Alas, Darren Aronofsky didn’t agree with this casting decision and stepped away. Eventually this Batman project was set aside and Batman Begins was chosen as the character’s film appearance, with this continuity being continued in 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Similar to Batman Begins, Darren Aronofsky’s Batman movie would have explored Bruce Wayne’s superhero origins, specifically by being a more direct adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, from which Batman Begins only borrows a few elements. Aronofsky even worked with Miller on the script, which would have had nods to Death Wish, The French Connection and Taxi Driver.

Continuing in his interview with Empire, Darren Aronofsky laid out how he wanted to take Batman in a much darker direction compared to what we got in Batman & Robin, to the point that torture would have been shown. Aronofsky said:

While neither Joaquin Phoenix and Freddie Prinze Jr. got to play Batman, Phoenix did eventually contribute to the Dark Knight’s mythology when he starred in Joker as Arthur Fleck, the man moviegoers watched transform into the Clown Prince of Crime. As for Prinze, while he hasn’t starred in any comic book projects, he has left his mark on geek culture as the voice of Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels.

As for what the future of Batman on film, Matt Reeves has taken the directorial reins on The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the eponymous protagonist. That movie is scheduled for release on June 25, 2021, although given that the production is on an indefinite hiatus, it’s possible that like what’s happened with so many movies lately, it could end up being pushed back.

This poll is no longer available.

As far as contemporary directors go, there are few as stylized and intense as Darren Aronofsky. The 49 year old filmmaker and writer often focuses on a mixture of the surreal and gritty psychological turmoil, and has seen same major success for his efforts. While mother! fell flat and was met with some umbrage over controversial scenes in the third act, Oscar bait movies like The Wrestler and Black Swan are modern classics.

The latter starred Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, and focused on professional dancers at the New York Ballet Company. The movie balances grounded scenes with full blown moments of horror, earning Natalie Portman an Oscar for Best Actress in the process. But Portman herself didn't even know the film's true tone, as she recently revealed in an interview:

Despite spending months training for and filming Black Swan, it appears that Natalie Portman was still in the dark about aspects of the acclaimed thriller. Namely, that it was even a thriller at all. Because she was expecting a far less horrifying venture into the world of professional ballet.

Natalie Portman's comments to Vanity Fair are sure to surprise fans and cinephiles alike, especially as Black Swan ended up being such a major moment in the actress' long career. The prep and work involved was a major part of the movie's narrative leading up to the Oscars, as Portman reportedly trained for six months in order to play Nina, and transform her body into that of a dancer's.

Add on the exhausting nature of filming, and the intense ballet training she had to do, and you'd think Natalie Portman would know about as much as Darren Aronofsky about Black Swan. But she didn't, as Aronofsky had a specific dark vision in mind which she simply wasn't privy to. It all paid off in the end, as Black Swan is a fascinating mixture of psychological horror and very "real" scenes within the ballet company.

Hearing more about Darren Aronofsky's process, one has to wonder how it all went down with mother! Cinephiles assume Aronofsky would do it again with 2007's allegory, but it ended up being panned but critics and being a box office failure. That film had an even more specific vision than Black Swan, so how much did the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, and Michelle Pfeiffer know about the project?

Darren Aronofsky doesn't have any directing gigs coming down the line, but CinemaBlend will keep you updated on his career as information becomes public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

While superheroes are everywhere, DC's Batman is on another level. The character has a ton of iconography and love behind it, as there have been a myriad of live-action and animated adaptations of the Caped Crusader's comic book adventures. Ben Affleck currently holds the mantle in the DCEU (who knows for how long), but a few years earlier was Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy. Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky was originally developing a movie called Batman: Year One, although it was scrapped, and Nolan eventually took control of the character. Aronofsky recently spoke about his planned film, and how it would have differed from Nolan's eventual trilogy.

Despite Batman: Year One never making it to production, Darren Aronofsky doesn't seem bitter. In fact, he recognizes that Christopher Nolan was the right guy for the job, especially given the wild success of his three films.

Darren Aronofsky's comments to The Playlist are sure to be intriguing, if only because he claimed his Batman movie would be even grittier than Christopher Nolan's trilogy. The Dark Knight movies accrued a ton of praise regarding how "real" thy were. Bruce Wayne took serious punishment, was far from invincible, and dealt with very real interpersonal struggles. If Aronofsky was going to create something even more gritty, I shutter to think that Gotham's protector might have endured.

Of course, Darren Aronofsky is a director/writer who is synonymous with gritty and sometimes horrifying film projects. His most recent work was the allegory mother!, starring Jennifer Lawrence. While there was a ton of buzz around the film, grisly imaged of Lawrence being beaten and a baby being killed turned cinephiles off. Meanwhile, both Black Swan and The Wrestler deal with the psychological issues and physical torture that comes with being a professional athlete. Aronofsky lives on grit, so it would stand to reason that his superhero movie would do the same.

Christopher Nolan's Dark Night Trilogy has become the quintessential live-action Batman movies, with a serialized story that helps it edge out Tim Burton's original two films. Zack Snyder once again brought the character to the silver screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While the overall film was a bit of a wash, Ben Affleck was praised for bringing an older and jaded Batman to life. He ultimately returned as a bit lighter character in Justice League, although its unclear how long the actor will be in the DCEU.

Matt Reeves is currently working on a Batman solo movie, although it's currently unclear what it will be about, or who will be playing the Caped Crusader. The next installment in the DCEU is Aquaman on December 21st, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Darren Aronofsky is one of the most acclaimed modern directors in the business right now. His dramas are complicated and fascinating looks into the human experience, and he's managed to accrue quite a few awards and nominations through movies like Black Swan, The Wrestler, and Requiem For A Dream. But his latest silver screen installment didn't go over quite as well. 2017 brought us Aronofsky's controversial allegory mother!, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. While anticipation for the film was at a high before its release, its complex themes and brutal imagery didn't sit well with audiences. But everyone involved in mother! seems to stand by the film, and now the director/writer has opened up about why he created the project in the first place.

It looks like Darren Aronofsy was always intending for mother! to affect and possibly upset audiences. In this way he can share his message: mankind is destroying the very Earth it walks upon. Although I'm not sure that revelation is going to quiet the haters.

Soon after its general release, it became clear that mother! was a far more abstract and artistic movie than its trailers necessary let on. While the film starts in realism, its runtime sees the entire tale get more and more chaotic, with both Jennifer Lawrence's character and her beloved home being destroyed by the mobs of outsiders who want nothing but to take and kill-- and all in the name of Javier Bardem's Him.

The allegorical nature of the film becomes all the more obvious in mother!'s final moments. After mother gives everything she can to Him including her crystalized heart, the house itself repairs and becomes the idyllic setting. A new woman is shown taking Jennifer Lawrence's place, revealing that the cycle of destruction would continue until something big changes.

In his same conversation at SXSW (via Variety), Darren Aronofsky revealed how the themes of nature and sustainability were at the film's core during filming, which influenced Jennifer Lawrence's layered and sometimes savage performance in mother! He said,

Darren Aronofsky certainly makes a point, as Jennifer Lawrence's fearless performance in mother! is full of pain and emotion. While she's a subdued and sweet woman during the film's first act, we see as mother attempts to keep it together as outsiders begin invading her home and destroying what she's worked so hard for. Unfortunately, mother! didn't get as much awards buzz as Aronofsky films are wont to do.

Darren Aronofsky doesn't have any directing projects coming down the pipeline, although he's producing a bunch of projects. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Break-ups suck. They're no fun for anyone. That's why it's always good to have a good friend nearby, especially one that can make you laugh. That's exactly what Jennifer Lawrence has with Amy Schumer. The comedian comforted her famous friend in her emotional time of need, and Schumer did it in a way that helped put a smile on Lawrence face. Now we know the funny (if somewhat cruel, honestly) way that Lawrence's celebrity BFF cheered her up a bit.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen (via People), to promote Red Sparrow, Jennifer Lawrence discussed breaking up with her mother! director Darren Aronofsky. Down in the dumps about the separation, she received a little bit of unconventional comfort from her comedian bestie. After announcing the news to her confidant, Lawrence received a bouquet of flowers at her doorstep, along with a message from Schumer that's exactly what you would expect from the Trainwreck actress/writer. As Lawrence tells it,

The humorous-but-heartfelt response helps paint a picture of the loving relationship shared between the celebrity friends. Though they have only been friends for the past few years, their relationship only continues to grow stronger.

Jennifer Lawrence was one of only a handful of guests invited to Amy Schumer's secret wedding a couple weeks back with chef Chris Fischer. Lawrence and Schumer also wrote a comedy screenplay together a couple years ago, a raunchy comedy where they would play sisters, though it's unclear if that project will ever see the light of day. We hope it does. They have danced on top of Billy Joel's piano before. They also have a history of joking around together, like when Schumer won her first Emmy.

Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky were dating a little over a year before they called it quits towards the end of last year. On a recent appearance on WTF with Marc Maron, Lawrence talked about the first time she dated the director and the sexual tension that arose before they became an item.

Hopefully, Jennifer Lawrence is mending her heart. In the meantime, at least she has Amy Schumer to cheer her up. Red Sparrow is now in theaters.

Weird movies are plentiful in Hollywood, and some of the weirdest over the last few decades have been provided by director Darren Aronofsky. And then there's mother!, the bizarre psychological story that came out last year which polarized critics and regular moviegoers alike with its freakish imagery and unusual allegorical structure. Well it turns out that even Aronofsky himself was disturbed during the making of mother!, so much so that he just wants to spend his free time just watching Rick and Morty and some other TV shows. In Aronofsky's words:

Rather than immediately jump back into the director's chair for a new movie, Darren Aronofsky has instead decided to take some much-needed break time after the draining experience that was mother! Aronofsky has quite the lineup of shows he needs to catch up on, from the animated, though intellectually poignant, wackiness that is Rick and Morty to Game of Thrones' epic fantasy story. With all the time Aronofsky poured into mother!, it's understandable that he fell behind in his TV watching and wants to remedy that. But even if he didn't want to see the latest season of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith traveling to parallel universes and strange worlds, Aronofsky would still be taking a breather after finishing mother! As he explained during his interview with Indiewire:

Mother!'s basic premise revolves around a couple whose relationship is tested when strange guests arrive at their home, but for those who haven't seen the movie, rest assured, it's significantly weirder than it initially sounds. After being released in theaters in mid-September, mother! is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, though if you do decide to check it out, you may want to take a cue from Darren Aronofsky and watch some Rick and Morty afterwards so that mother!'s haunting plot doesn't weigh too heavily on your mind.

Darren Aronofsky's next directorial endeavor hasn't been announced yet, but he is attached as a producer on the upcoming White Boy Rick. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on Aronofsky's next projects, and find out what's hitting theaters this year by scanning through our 2018 premiere guide.

One of the best movies of 2017 (and easily one of the most controversial), Darren Aronofsky's mother! serves as a perfect circle, ending in basically the exact same way that it opens -- with a crystal object being placed in a holder, and a house being "born" from some fiery wreckage. What happens in between the bookended "birth" scenes is open to interpretation -- and it's there that the movie, and all conversation about it, tends to go off the rails. But when we hopped on the phone with mother! production designer Phil Messina ahead of the movie's Blu-ray and DVD release, we asked him if the "house" in the opening scene and the "house" in the closing scene are meant to represent the same location, and he confessed:

The longer we dove into the possible meanings of mother! with Phil Messina, the more it became clear that even though he had worked with Darren Aronofsky on the multi-faceted movie -- and had, in fact, designed the house that would capture the action and serve as the central metaphor for the movie -- his version of what the story meant was both different and the same as ours. We had a few likeminded observations. We also broke apart on some of the takeaways regarding the film. He explained that for Aronofsky, that was basically the point, stating:

The cycle is violent. The cycle has many twists and turns. The cycle is unpredictable. With that in mind, I asked Phil Messina if he thought things might play out differently for the lady we saw waking up at the end of mother!, who calls out, "Baby?" He emphatically stated:

The point being that with mother!, no explanation is right or wrong, and no analysis is ever fully complete. It's a movie I've revisited, taking away new interpretations. And I know it will morph and change as I evolve. It's that type of work of art.

Catch up with mother! now that it's on digital, Blu-ray and DVD.

Recent reports say Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence and acclaimed filmmaker Darren Aronofsky have split up after dating for about a year. Aronofsky and Lawrence have not publicly commented about the supposed breakup or what caused it, but there's been plenty of information about the former relationship and the breakup, and by looking at the evidence, we can piece together a semblance of understanding about what might have moved Aronofsky and Lawrence to call it quits. Let's recap.

Days before news surfaced about Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky's split, Lawrence joined a podcast for an interview in which she spoke as if they were together or at least friendly. Reports say Aronofsky and Lawrence broke up about a month before the breakup made headlines, so Lawrence speaking fondly of Aronofsky could support reports saying they ended on amicable terms. Thus, we can assume there was not a big blow-out argument; still, we cannot know for sure.

After all, Jennifer Lawrence previously told the press about tense moments she and Darren Aronofsky shared on the set of mother!, the recent Aronofsky-directed film starring Lawrence in addition to Javier Bardem, Domhhnall Gleeson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Harris, and Kristen Wiig. In September, Lawrence told Vogue she once felt so much anxiety and stress during the filming that she hyperventilated and needed emergency oxygen. She even dislocated one of her ribs one day, too. Lawrence described the hyperventilation and said,

Yikes! When we first heard that story, it read in a different way. It added to the notion Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky had found common ground in their intense work ethic and pushed each other to be their absolute best at all times--like, even when one of them needed emergency oxygen. While it might be true Aronofsky and Lawrence are hard workers and even bonded over that characteristic, this particular anecdote reads in a much different light now that Aronofsky and Lawrence's fling supposedly is a thing of the past. (Also, Lawrence said she requested a room devoted to all things Keeping Up with the Kardashians to help her survive the filming, and Aronofsky never understood why she relied on reality TV to relax. In the article, this bit came across as cute and quirky, like Aronofsky didn't get it but still wanted J. Law to be happy. However, it might have been some breakup foreshadowing related to age and maturity. More on that in a moment.)

Other reasons might have contributed to the split. For example, Page Six heard from a source who simply said, "It was just time," which does not give a lot of detail--but, at the same time, gives plenty of detail, doesn't it? Similarly, Jennifer Lawrence herself even talked about the frustrations mounting between her and Darren Aronofsky when they went on tour to promote mother! together. During a recent Actors on Actors talk by Variety, Lawrence said she would return to the hotel and want to decompress after a long day of promoting, but Aronofsky would want to continue talking about the film. She said,

Again, this remark did not come across as trouble in paradise when we first heard it. Jennifer Lawrence always seemed to chalk up matters like this one to Darren Aronofsky's strong work ethic. On numerous occasions, Lawrence even acknowledged how the Black Swan filmmaker's serious approach toward work drew her to him in the first place. But now it gives us pause.

Finally, the most important piece of the puzzle might be their vast age difference. Jennifer Lawrence is 27 while Darren Aronofsky is 48. No, there is nothing at all wrong about two adults dating despite a nearly 20-year age gap. Yet, we would be remiss not to recognize how people innately are different at different stages of life.

In fact, a source for People indicated Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky didn't work out mainly because they have different priorities reflecting where and who they are as people. The insider went on to indicate Lawrence is giving 100% of herself to her career right now. While Aronofsky also is deeply passionate about his professional life, he also has had experiences Lawrence has not, and he has obligations Lawrence does not. For instance, Aronofsky shares an 11-year-old son, Henry, with actress Rachel Weisz; Lawrence, on the other hand, does not have kids at the moment.

It is worth noting there might be some noise about Jennifer Lawrence possibly breaking up with Darren Aronofsky because Chris Pratt is single. While Lawrence and Pratt promoted Passengers in 2015, some tabloids posited the idea Lawrence and Pratt had become more than friends during the filming, though Pratt was married to Anna Faris at the time. Faris even dished about that topic in her new book and indicated it was hard to process the insecurity, though she knew in her heart Pratt did not cheat with Lawrence. There most likely was not and is not anything between Lawrence and Pratt, so all this information is here just to say this should not have contributed to Aronofsky and Lawrence's breakup whatsoever.

Regardless, the other possible reasons why Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky supposedly split seem to paint a picture about why they are no longer together. We'll have to wait and see if Aronofsky and Lawrence one day offer details about what happened. Hopefully, reports about the amicable breakup remain true.

According to various entertainment news outlets, Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and lauded American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky have split up after a year of dating. Apparently, Lawrence and Aronofsky broke up on amicable terms. While it is a good to hear Lawrence and Aronofsky are still friendly, the news of their breakup does come as a bit of a surprise.

Outlets like ET are saying Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky's romance is a thing of the past. But Lawrence was still saying loving things about the Black Swan director as recently as Monday, November 20. During a revealing interview that day, Lawrence gushed about the beginning of their relationship, and there was no hint that the pair might be calling it quits. She told The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast she developed a crush on Darren Aronofsky before he extended the offer to work together on a movie.

Before filming mother!, Darren Aronofsky insisted on rehearsals--something that is not always a requirement for all movies or all trained actors, especially powerhouses like Javier Bardem, Domhhnall Gleeson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Harris, and Kristen Wiig, who all appeared in the film along with Jennifer Lawrence. The rehearsals gave Lawrence and Aronofsky a chance to get to know each other, but according to Lawrence, Aronofsky remained "professional" the whole time. They did not broach the topic of a relationship until after filming wrapped. Lawrence explained,

Paparazzi spotted Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky having dinner in New York around August 2016, and then the press started talking about a romantic connection between them about two months later. However, the now-former pair never confirmed or denied the romance, until Lawrence dished about her boyfriend in the September 2017 issue of Vogue. In that article, the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar-winner indicated it felt nice never to be confused about the ins and outs of her relationship with Aronofsky.

Jennifer Lawrence also told the fashion magazine about how she and Darren Aronofsky shared similarities regarding work ethic, but they had stark differences, too. For example, Lawrence said her passionate love for all things Keeping Up with the Kardashians never made sense to Aronofsky-- although he still supported her. In fact, Aronofsky even let her create a quasi-meditative space on the set of mother! and fill it with things devoted to KUWTK.

Before dating Darren Aronofsky, Jennifer Lawrence had romantic connections to Chris Martin of Coldplay and actor Nicholas Hoult. Aronofsky was together with actress Rachel Weisz until 2010 when they split up after nine years. Weisz later married James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

While it is a bummer to hear Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky have separated, it is good to know the split was friendly overall. It will be interesting to see who Lawrence dates next (and if it will be Chris Pratt, who is also single at the moment). We'll have to stay tuned.

Superhero movies thrive when they think outside of the box and hire directors you don't expect to excel in the genre. Christopher Nolan made, arguably, the best Batman movie because he didn't treat it like a traditional superhero origin story. Sam Raimi made Spider-Man a Sam Raimi movie first, and a Marvel movie second. So when Darren Aronofsky expresses interest in making a Superman movie, I say that Hollywood needs to move Heaven and Earth to bring this fictional feature film out of my dreams and into your cinemas.

Darren Aronofsky is doing press on behalf of the bonkers and controversial mother!, and was asked if he'd ever do a superhero movie (because that's the standard question to any filmmaker nowadays). Entertaining the notion, Aronofsky replied to CinePOP:

Can you picture a Darren Aronofsky interpretation of what it's like being Superman? In movies such as Black Swan and The Wrestler, Aronofsky has enjoyed analyzing the damage that striving to excel at your craft can have on one's psyche. And Superman, already, is treated like a Christ figure by so many filmmakers who have tackled the DC icon. Now try to imagine handing him over to the director behind true Biblical dramas like mother! and Noah. The possibilities are endless.

Also, no one has really captured the true essence of the paradox of Kal-El and Clark Kent on screen, with Richard Donner arguably coming the closest and directors like Bryan Singer and Zack Snyder nailing aspects of the character without nailing the whole package. So far in the DCEU, Henry Cavill's Superman has been marginalized as a sounding board for the opinions of the masses, and the maniacally paranoid (both Batman and Lex Luthor). We don't yet know how Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon will treat him in Justice League, but we're close to finding out.

Until we get Darren Aronofsky's interpretation of the pain, suffering and toil that comes with being the Man of Steel, we're just going to have to settle for his mother! which continues to divide audiences but attract attention at the box office. Paramount has wisely embraced the fact that patrons are angered by Aronofsky's vision. Maybe if the Matthew Vaughn Man of Steel 2 doesn't work out, Warner Bros. should give Aronofsky a call?

Last week, mother! became the latest film to score an F on the CinemaScore scale of audience experience. Only the 11th film to do so, director Darren Aronofsky's masterpiece of WTF film-making has certainly made its mark on the audience. So naturally, people are interested as to what Aronofsky feels about this occurrence, and as luck would have it, he's offered his feelings on the matter. As you'll see in the Aronofsky's most recent remakrs, he not only expected this to happen, he actually seems pretty thrilled. He explained why, thusly:

\When you look back on Darren Aronofsky's history as a film-maker and the various projects he's either left or had to drastically alter to get them made, like Batman: Year One and The Fountain, respectively, your skin tends to be quite thick. For him, the journey wasn't so much about if people would like mother!, but more so about whether or not they'd react to it. To be sure, it's not a pleasant movie, as it assaults the audience with its message through some loud and harrowing set pieces. So Aronofsky understands that for the casual moviegoer who thinks of mother! as more of a traditional horror film, this isn't the film they were sold in the ads.

This is the main reason that the CinemaScore for mother! is sitting at an F, as the scale measures audience experience, and an unsuspecting audience is either going to love the surprise or be totally outraged. There's no real middle ground with mother!, and anyone who's seen the ads can tell you that. If Darren Aronofsky was more occupied with having the audience like or hate his film, much like a standard film viewing experience, then maybe he'd be more upset about joining the club that Steven Soderbergh's Solaris and William Friedkin's Bug also occupy. But for the man who is more concerned with making his movie and getting his message out there, his interview with The Frame has confirmed that this is more of a badge of honor.

Most importantly, Darren Aronofsky wants audiences to think about the message that mother! has to offer, rather than how it makes them feel. So rather than craft a film that's a one and done experience, Aronofsky made a film that's layered in meaning and subtext, which can be better enjoyed over time. So maybe there's a chance that audiences can meet the Noah director halfway after they've seen this latest film at least once or twice more, in order to let it really wash over them. It won't change the CinemaScore given to mother!, but it'll certainly help the film in the long run.

If you haven't experienced mother! for yourself, you can do so in theaters now. Or, if you'd rather seek out something more commercially pleasing, you can take a look at the rest of 2017's release schedule. But seriously, you should go see mother!, if only to become part of the conversation.