Not long after he hacks his way across the globe for Michael Mann, Chris Hemsworth will be headed to the high seas for Ron Howard‘s next feature, reteaming after Rush. In the Heart of the Sea takes inspiration from Herman Melville‘s novel Moby Dick, but is actually based on Nathaniel Philbrick‘s book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, which tracks a whaling ship in 1920 that go up against their prey and are stranded at sea.
Also reteaming with Howard and Hemsworth is cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who looks to bring an epic, visceral scale to the story, as evidenced in the debut of a new, intense trailer. Also getting into a bit of the relationships Hemsworth’s character holds, check it out below for the film also starring Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, and Jordi Mollà.
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. “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.
In the Heart of the Sea opens on March 13th, 2015.