Check out behind the scenes photos of Ron Howard’s ocean survival drama Heart of the Sea

With RUSH already in theaters and THE DARK TOWER not happening any time soon, Ron Howard has already begun production on his next film, HEART OF THE SEA. Based on the non-fiction book by Nathaniel Philbrick, the movie reteams Howard with RUSH star Chris Hemsworth alongside Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, and Ben Whishaw. Howard took to Facebook and Twitter to share the first images from production on the film.

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 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.

This almost sounds like LIFE OF PI meets RAVENOUS crossed with CAST AWAY. These set photos are very reminiscent of Ang Lee on set for LIFE OF PI, but I would think that Ron Howard is going to go for a much more realistic feel for this tale. The cast is great and the cannibal aspect could make this a gruesome and chilling film to see.

Some have soured on Howard’s films in recent years, but RUSH was a beautifully shot drama that felt like an action movie. HEART OF THE SEA could easily turn out the same way. With filming underway, expect HEART OF THE SEA to hit screens sometime in 2014.