Two months before In The Heart Of The Sea was set to open, Warner Bros has pushed its Ron Howard-directed high-seas drama all the way to December 11, setting it squarely in Oscar’s cross hairs. The Village Roadshow Pictures film — which had been set for a March 13 bow for more than a year — is based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s book about how the whaleship Essex was attacked by a sperm whale nearly two centuries ago, leaving the crew adrift for three months and forced to turn to cannibalism. It reteams Oscar winner Howard and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Peter Morgan, who collaborated on Frost/Nixon and the racing pic Rush. Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson and Jordi Molla star.
Warners also said today that the Liam Neeson actioner Run All Night is moving up a month from its April 17 slot into the March 13 date vacated by In The Heart Of The Sea. The move comes days after Neeson’s Taken 3 scored the third-biggest January debut ever.
Erik Pedersen
