| Whale Shark Jack | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Miranda Edmonds Khrob Edmonds |
| Screenplay by | Kathryn Lefroy |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
Production companies |
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Running time | 85 minutes [1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Whale Shark Jack is an upcoming Australian family film starring Abbie Cornish, Michael Dorman and Alyla Browne , releasing on April 2nd of 2026 through STAN. [2] It is a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and the natural world as a young girl comes to terms with the loss of her father by embarking on a risky mission to save her best friend, a whale shark named Jack. [3]
Developed by a Western Australian creative team, including screenwriter and author Kathryn Lefroy (Library of Love) and sibling directors Miranda Edmonds (Library of Love, Tango Underpants) and Khrob Edmonds (Library of Love, Tango Underpants), in their feature directorial debut, Whale Shark Jack is set on and around the breathtaking Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, and is a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and the natural world. [4]
The Stan Original Film Whale Shark Jack is the second co-commission with ACTF following on from the award-winning and critically acclaimed Stan Original Film Windcatcher.
Sarah (12) lives on a boat with her parents, who research whale sharks. Her only friend is a whale shark named Jack, who Sarah rescued when he was a pup. But following a tragic accident, mum and Sarah move to the coastal town of Exmouth. Desperate to return to her old life, Sarah pegs all her hopes on Jack, certain that when his migration brings him back to Exmouth, mum will take her out on the boat again. But Jack fails to return, so Sarah embarks on a risky mission to find him. Whale Shark Jack is a heartwarming adventure story about family and friendship, the natural world, and moving forward when all hope seems lost. [5]
The film was first announced in 2023, and marks the feature-length directorial debut of sister and brother directing team, Miranda and Khrob Edmonds. It is a co-commission between Stan and the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). It is written by Kathryn Lefroy, and has Timothy White and Miranda Edmonds as producers, with Georgia White and Estelle Buzzard as co-producers. Executive Producers are Bernadette O'Mahony for ACTF, Cailah Scobie and Donna Chang for Stan, Kelvin Munro, and Malinda Wink. Deanne Weir, Olivia Humphrey, Khrob Edmonds, and Kathryn Lefroy serve as co-producers with Hazel Walgar an associate producer. [6]
Abbie Cornish and Michael Dorman lead the cast as a married couple and feature along with Alyla Browne as their daughter, as well as Rachel Ward. [7]
Principal photography was initially delayed by over a year in 2024. [8] However, it commenced in Western Australia in January 2025 and was completed in March 2025. [9]
Kathryn Lefroy is set to publish a Movie Tie in of Whale Shark Jack, on March 3rd of 2026 through Penguin Books. [10] Along with the book, an audio version will be released narrated by Ursula Yovich [11]
"Kathryn is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter who can't quite decide between the page and the screen, so she does both. She's the author of several novels for young readers, including the popular Alex and the Alpacas series, The Secret of the Stone, and now Whale Shark Jack — a story that started as a screenplay, became a novel, and has swum its way onto the big screen as a feature film." [12]