Hong Chau is to star in 'The Whale'.

Hong Chau

Hong Chau

The 41-year-old actress will appear in Darren Aronofsky's new movie that stars Brendan Fraser in the lead role.

The movie follows Charlie, a 600-pound middle-aged man as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.

The pair had fallen out when Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover who later died. He then turned to compulsive eating out of grief which caused his large weight gain. Chau will play the role of Charlie's best friend.

Samantha Morton and Sadie Sink are also believed to be close to joining the project, with Sadie set to play Charlie's daughter should she board the flick.

The movie is based on Samuel D. Hunter's acclaimed stage play and the writer has proud to see his project translated to the big screen.

He said: "Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labour of love for me.

"This story is deeply personal and I'm very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience.

"I've been a fan of Darren's ever since I saw 'Requiem for a Dream' when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I'm so grateful that he's bringing his singular talent and vision to this film."

Production on the film is set to begin next month and will mark Darren's next film. He is also set to team up with Jared Leto for the creepy new horror movie 'Adrift'.

Chau's previous credits include the TV series 'Watchmen' and opposite Matt Damon in the 2017 movie 'Downsizing'.

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