James Corden nearly played Brendan Fraser’s role in The Whale

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy James Corden has revealed that he nearly played Brendan Fraser’s lead role in The Whale. Corden told Deadline reporter Pete Hammond, before a Q&A for his new show Mammals: “I was going to play that part, and Tom Ford was going to direct.” The film went on to be directed by Darren Aronofsky, and Corden reportedly said that Ford ultimately didn’t take the reins as he had wanted more complete control of the project. He then told me George Clooney also got involved with it at one point but only wanted to make the film if an actual 600-pound unknown could be found to play the lead role. “The complications of that were too much, as you might imagine, and Clooney never became involved beyond that brief flirtation with the property.” Fraser in ‘The Whale’ Aronofsky later confirmed Corden’s account of events to Deadline.