In the Heart of the Sea

In the Heart of the Sea is an upcoming 2015 epic historical adventure thriller drama film based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, that inspired the tale of Moby-Dick. Directed by Ron Howard, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson.
In The Heart of the Sea is scheduled for release on December 11, 2015.

Plot

In 1820, the whaling ship Essex is crewed by the Captain George Pollard, Jr., first officer Owen Chase, second officer Matthew Joy, and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson. During their voyage, the ship is sunk when it is rammed and split in half by a very large and enraged bull sperm whale, ultimately leaving its crew shipwrecked at sea for 90 days and more than a thousand miles from land.^[2][3] After the attack, the crew sails for South America and is forced to resort to cannibalism.^[4]

Cast

• Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, the First Mate^[5]
• Benjamin Walker as Captain George Pollard, Jr.
• Cillian Murphy as Matthew Joy, the Second Mate^[5]
• Tom Holland as young Thomas Nickerson, the cabin boy
• Brendan Gleeson^[5] as old Thomas Nickerson
• Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville^[5]
• Michelle Fairley as Mrs. Nickerson
• Gary Beadle as William Bond
• Frank Dillane as Owen Coffin, cousin of Captain George Pollard, Jr.
• Charlotte Riley^[6] as Peggy
• Donald Sumpter as Paul Macy
• Brooke Dimmock as Phoebe Chase
• Jamie Sives as Isaac Cole

Production

Before Benjamin Walker was set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill.^[3] The film was in talks back in 2000 with Barry Levinson directing for Miramax Films.^[4]
Principal photography began in September 2013 in London and at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom^[7][8] It was also shot on location on the island of La Gomera (plus some scenes on Lanzarote) in the Canary Islands, Spain.^[9]
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Hemsworth revealed that to prepare for the role of starving sailors, the cast were on a diet of 500–600 calories a day to lose weight.^[10]

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on March 13, 2015, but was later moved to December 11.^[11] The film is scheduled to be released in the Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema in North America.^[12]