Warner Bros. has unveiled the trailer for Ron Howard’s maritime adventure, In the Heart of the Sea, which hints at the epic voyage that awaits Chris Hemsworth and his courageous crew come next year.
Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s eponymous, award-winning novel, the film tells the real-life tale of whaling ship Essex and its crew of adrenaline junkies. Led by Hemsworth’s grizzled first mate, Owen Chase, In the Heart of the Sea chronicles the crew’s encounter with the infamous white whale known as Moby Dick circa 1820.
Here’s the official synopsis, courtesy of Warner Bros.:
“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.”
Joining Hemsworth for the naval expedition are Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy and Syfall’s own Ben Whishaw.
In the Heart of the Sea also marks Hemsworth’s second collaboration with helmer Ron Howard, following the pair’s work on last year’s award-winning F1 drama, Rush. And while this is a ways away from that biopic’s tire-screeching action, it seems as though the two are beginning to form a solid relationship that In the Heart of the Sea will hope to continue.
In fact, the recently-released footage contains a collection of show-stopping snippets — the aerial shot of Moby Dick colliding with the Essex, for instance — that hint at the kind of epic adventure that Howard has in store for us.
In the Heart of the Sea will roar into theaters in March. Until then, you can get a glimpse of Hemsworth’s ocean-faring adventure in the trailer above.