The adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's drama tells the fate of the crew of the whaleship Essex, which influenced Herman Melville's "Moby Dick."
Blending fact and fiction, the book describes how the ship was stalked and attacked by a sperm whale in 1820. The crew was left adrift for 90 days and resorted to cannibalism.
"The Heart of the Sea" was originally written by Charles Leavitt, and Morgan recently came in to work with Howard on rewrites. The cast includes Chris Hemswort, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland and Brendan Gleeson.
Morgan received a Tony nomination for the script of Frost/Nixon. He also received Academy Award nominations for the films "Frost/Nixon" and "The Queen."
Howard and Morgan collaborated on "Frost/Nixon" and the upcoming racing film "Rush."
