Chris Hemsworth and his ship’s crew take on a mammoth whale in the new film from Apollo 13 director Ron Howard.
In the first trailer for the 19th Century-set maritime adventure a voice over warns: “The tragedy of the Essex is the story of men and a demon…”
Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s book, ‘In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex’, Howard’s film follows the crew of a doomed ship rammed by a whale in the seas of the South Pacific. The ship’s survivors drifted for 90 days in small boats while falling victim to the desperation of disease and cannibalism.
The film’s synopsis has revealed: “In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.
The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s ‘Moby-Dick’. But that told only half the story. In the Heart of the Sea reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive.
Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.”
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard also made A Beautiful Mind. His latest film also stars Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland, Brendon Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Jordi Molla. Watch the first trailer for In the Heart of the Sea below.