Ron Howard starts shooting 'Heart of the Sea' in the U.K.

BURBANK, Calif., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Production is underway in the United Kingdom on the action adventure film "Heart of the Sea," Warner Bros. announced.

Director Ron Howard is helming the big-screen adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's best-selling book about the dramatic true journey of the whaling ship Essex.

"Heart of the Sea" stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland and Ben Whishaw.

"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," a synopsis said.

"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."