The texting went as follows early this morning, World of Reel‘s Jordan Ruimy and myself…

JR: Did you read about the new Aronofsky? It’s about a 500-pound gay couch potato who’s been eating himself to death. Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s 2012 play. With Brendan Fraser as the fat guy.

HE: Oh my God…metaphor! The dead obese guy in Se7en comes back to life and merges with Mr. Creosote. And we get to watch it!

JR: Hah, Creosote is exactly who popped in my head the minute I heard about this. The Whale!

HE: Fraser isn’t heavy enough to play it without a fat suit.

JR: Very small budget

HE: Quality-brand fat suits can be costly

JR: Christian Bale could have put on 400 pounds easy.

HE: Fraser lost his A-list status because he put on too much weight and lost too much hair. I know it’s a cliche for me of all people to have this reaction, but I really, REALLY don’t want to see this.

JR: It’s described as a story of “redemption”. Similar thematically to The Wrestler.

HE: A Reddit guy says “the long-awaited Brenaissance has arrived!” Another says “hey, Brendan is getting work again!” Third guy: “He’s recently worked with Danny Boyle on FX TV show Trust and is the voice of a main character in the popular DC comic book TV show Doom Patrol. The Brenaissance already began, this is just the continuation.”

Consider Charles Isherwood‘s N.Y. Times review (11.5.12) of the play.