Chris Hemsworth Sets Sail for IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

Hemsworth attached to long-gestating adaptation.

‘Avengers Assemble’ star Chris Hemsworth is attached to star in ‘In The Heart Of The Sea,’ reports Deadline.

Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 fact-based novel, ‘In The Heart Of The Sea’ is the tale of Nantucket whaling ship the Essex. In 1819, the Essex left port for the South Pacific with twenty crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than ninety days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, disease, and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival. The ordeal of the Essex inspired Herman Melville’s ‘Moby Dick.’

The adaptation was penned ‘Blood Diamond’ screenwriter Charles Leavitt, and will be produced by Joe Roth, Paula Weinstein, Will Ward and Palak Patel. Long in development, the adaption has had various director attached in the past including Barry Levinson and Edward Zwick.