Charles Leavitt wrote the script, adapted from author Nathaniel Philbrick's non-fiction book of the same name. The story revolves around a Nantucket whaling ship which was destroyed by a sperm whale in 1820. Only eight crew members were rescued alive, after being lost at sea for 90 days. The true event inspired Herman Melville to write his literary classic Moby-Dick.
Ron Howard will call action on the film.
Chris Hemsworth is attached to play the first mate Owen Chase who was supplanted as captain of the whaling ship by a better connected rival George Pollard (Benjamin Walker).. After the attack though, he becomes the hero who leads some of them to safety.
Murphy will play Matthew Joy, the ship's second mate.
Tom Holland will play the role of Thomas Nickerson, the Essex's teenage cabin boy whose manuscript inspired Philbrick to write this book.
Joe Roth, Palak Patel, Paula Weinstein, and Will Ward are producing the adaptation.
Production begins in London in mid-September.
The project has been in development for several years, with directors such as Barry Levinson and Edward Zwick once attached to direct.
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