The movie is based on Nathaniel Philbrick's non-fiction book
"In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex",
which tells the story of the sinking of the "Essex", an American
whaling ship, in 1820.
The vessel was struck by a sperm whale and its crew was left
stranded at sea. The events are said to have helped inspire
Herman Melville's famed novel "Moby Dick".
"I loved that it's a sea adventure and that it deals with a
mythic figure ... the whale that actually inspired Melville to
write 'Moby Dick' was every bit as intense as 'Moby Dick' and
that real event was something that I wanted to share with
audiences," Howard told Reuters.
The film's cast -- which includes "Thor" actor Chris Hemsworth
and Tom Holland who will star as the next "Spider-Man" -- had to
lose weight for the movie.
"I was very inspired by their level of commitment," Howard said.
"Of course, I also was insisting upon it as the director. It's
really the story that was making the demands and it was also the
fact that they were playing real people who had existed, who had
endured, or struggled to endure and they wanted to honor the
memory of these men."
"In the Heart of the Sea", already out in the U.S. and other
countries, hits UK cinemas on Dec. 26.
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