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Brendan Fraser, Darren Aronofsky

Brendan Fraserand Darren Aronofsky are teaming up for a movie adaptation of the award-winning playThe Whale.

Fraser, 52, will star as Charlie, a 600 lb. reclusive writing instructor who is determined to eat himself to death, according toVariety. Desperate to reconnect with his daughter, he reaches out to her only to find a sharp-tongued, unhappy teen.

Samuel D. Hunter will write the screenplay based on his play. The 2012 production debuted off-Broadway to acclaim fromThe New York Times.

The play won a Drama Desk Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding play and a GLAAD Media Award.

This is Aronofsky’s first film since 2017’smother!starring Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Harris and Javier Bardem. He has also directedRequiem for a DreamandBlack Swan.

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In 2018, Fraser toldGQhisstunt-filled movies took a toll on his body.

“I believe I probably was trying too hard, in a way that’s destructive,” Fraser said. “By the time I did the third Mummy picture in China [in 2008] I was put together with tape and ice — just, like, really nerdy and fetishy about ice packs. Screw-cap ice packs and downhill-mountain-biking pads, ‘cause they’re small and light and they can fit under your clothes. I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily.”

source: people.com