The teaser trailer for Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth‘s epic In the Heart of the Sea has surfaced online.
The clip begins with ominous images of Hemsworth at sea on The Essex before he’s shown hurling a harpoon at a whale and the ship is destroyed from some unseen force in the sea. Rapid-fire images of a shipwreck, including fire and Hemsworth underwater and brandishing a gun follow.
See more Exclusive Portraits of Chris Hemsworth
Flashbacks shown the crew of the Essex — including Ben Whishaw, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson — having fun at sea before, as a voiceover explains, “trust gave way to doubt, hope to superstition.”
In the Heart of the Sea, on which Hemsworth reunited with his Rush director, tells the true story of the events that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Whishaw plays Melville.
The trailer teases this, showing a giant whale tail ready to smash the ship.
Read more ‘Rush’s’ Chris Hemsworth on Crash-Dieting, Keeping ‘Thor’ Interesting and Boyhood Obsessions
A final voiceover, as Hemsworth is shown struggling onto the shore, says “The tragedy of the Essex is the story of men.”
Howard previously provided updates on the film from the postproduction stages.
Read more THR Cover: Ron Howard’s Competitive Drive Behind ‘Rush’ (And How to Fit Thor Into a Race Car)
Warner Bros. is set to release In the Heart of the Sea in March 2015.
Watch the full teaser trailer above.
