New The Whale trailer reveals more of Brendan Fraser's transformation

The Whale starring Brendan Fraser has been given a new trailer ahead of its release in February.

Directed by the Oscar nominated Darren Aronofsky, The Whale sees Fraser play a reclusive 600lbs man attempting to reconnect with his teenage daughter.

It is Fraser's first big leading role in over a decade and he has won significant acclaim for his performance.

The trailer opens with Fraser's character dealing with his relationship with his own appearance before attempting to reconcile with his estranged child.

It is the first time proper footage of Fraser has been shown in either pictures or video as previous teasers had only depicted him from the shoulders up.

The George of the Jungle actor wore a 300lbs prosthetic for the role.

The trailer also shows glimpses of other members of the cast including Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, Hong Chao and Samantha Morton.

Earlier this week, Fraser was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe along with Austin Butler, Hugh Jackman, Bill Nighy and Jeremy Pope.

Fraser has said he will not attend the ceremony after previously accusing Philip Berk, a previous head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who organise the awards, of sexual assault.

However, The Whale has been criticised in some quarters for its depiction of fat people but Aronofsky recently defended his film.

Read more: Brendan Fraser says people are saying his name wrong

He said: “People with obesity are generally written as bad guys or as punchlines. We wanted to create a fully worked-out character who has bad parts about him and good parts about him; Charlie is very selfish, but he’s also full of love and is seeking forgiveness."

Aronofsky added: "So [the controversy] makes no sense to me. Brendan Fraser is the right actor to play this role, and the film is an exercise in empathy.”

The Whale is released in the UK on 3 February 2023.

Watch below: Brendan Fraser's performance in The Whale was shaped by his family.