Courtesy of USA Today we have our first look at Ron Howard
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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.
The film also stars Tom Holland (‘The Impossible’) as young seaman Tom Nickerson, and Brendan Gleeson (‘Calvary’) as the same man, 30 years later. Spanish actor Jordi Mollà (‘Riddick’) is the captain of another ship, the Archimedes, who tries to warn the Essex of what may lie ahead.
HEART OF THE SEA opens in Irish cinemas December 2015