Killer Whale (2026 film)

Killer Whale
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jo-Anne Brechin
Written by	Jo-Anne Brechin Katharine McPhee
Produced by	Steve Jaggi Kylie Pascoe Lionel Hicks
Starring	Virginia Gardner Mel Jarnson Mitchell Hope
Cinematography	Shing-Fung Cheung
Edited by	Ahmad Halimi
Music by	Angela Little
Production companies	Head Gear Films Jaggi Entertainment Metrol Technology
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date	January 16, 2026 (2026-01-16)(United States)
Running time	89 minutes [1]
Countries	United States Australia
Language	English

Killer Whale is a 2026 survival thriller film directed by Jo-Anne Brechin and written by Brechin and Katharine McPhee. The film stars Virginia Gardner, Mel Jarnson, and Mitchell Hope. The plot follows two best friends who find themselves trapped in a remote lagoon with a vengeful orca.

The film was released theatrically in the United States by Lionsgate on January 16, 2026. ^[2]

Plot

Maddie (Virginia Gardner), a talented cellist, is struggling to recover from a tragedy in which her friend Chad died protecting her during a robbery. To help her heal, her best friend Trish (Mel Jarnson), a successful scientist and social media influencer, surprises her with a luxury vacation to Thailand.

Trish encourages Maddie to visit a local attraction featuring Ceto, a captive killer whale. Disapproving of the animal's captivity, Maddie refuses to support the venue financially. Instead, the pair, accompanied by an expat named Josh (Mitchell Hope), decide to explore a secluded lagoon. Their excursion turns into a nightmare when Ceto, having killed a trainer and escaped into the open water, traps them in the atoll. The group must fight for survival against the apex predator, who is seeking vengeance for years of mistreatment.

Cast

• Virginia Gardner as Maddie, an aspiring cellist recovering from a personal tragedy.
• Mel Jarnson as Trish Stevens, Maddie's best friend and a scientist.
• Mitchell Hope as Josh, an expat who joins the friends on their trip.
• Isaac Crawley as Chad
• Ron Smyck as Security Guard
• Scott James George as The Man
• Aliandra Calabrese as Chelsea

Production

Development

The film was produced by Australian production house Jaggi Entertainment in collaboration with Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology. It was directed by Jo-Anne Brechin, with a screenplay co-written by Brechin and Katharine McPhee. ^[3]

Filming

Principal photography took place in Thailand and Queensland, Australia, utilizing both location shooting and water tanks for the aquatic sequences. Cinematography was handled by Shing-Fung Cheung.

Reception

Pre-release marketing emphasized the film as a "creature feature" in the vein of The Shallows and Crawl . Early reactions praised the performance of Virginia Gardner and the tension of the survival sequences, though some critics noted the familiarity of the "shark attack" subgenre tropes applied to an orca.

References

1. "Killer Whale[M]". Australian Classification Board . December 17, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
2. "Killer Whale (2026) Tickets & Showtimes". Fandango Media . Retrieved January 11, 2026.
3. "Killer Whale - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia . Retrieved January 11, 2026.

External links

• Killer Whale at IMDb
• Killer Whale at Rotten Tomatoes