John Boyega has been cast in a new BBC Two feature drama titled The Whale.
Said to be based on the the book, The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by A Whale, here’s how it’s described:
In 1820, the Nantucket whaleship Essex, thousands of miles from home in the South Pacific, was rammed by an angry sperm whale. The Essex sank, leaving twenty crew members floating in three small boats for ninety days. The incident was the Titanic story of its day, and provided the inspiration for Melville’s Moby-Dick.
The 90 minute drama is set to begin shooting this month, or next, with Alrick Riley directing.
Boyega joins a cast that includes Charles Furness, Joe Armstrong, Jassa Ahluwalia, Adam Rayner and Jonas Armstrong.
No word on what characters each of them will play, although it’s probably safe to assume that they’ll play members of the crew who were left floating for 90 days.
While this is set to air on BBC in the UK, TVWise is reporting that the Discovery Channel is co-producing the movie, and will air it in the USA.
No dates yet however.
Up next for Boyega is the film adaptation of celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Orange Prize-winning novel, Half Of A Yellow Sun, and the indie sci-fi feature titled Creeping Zero, to be directed by Billy O’Brien.