Edward Zwick is set to direct New Regency's upcoming "In the Heart of the Sea," a drama inspired by true events.

According to Variety, the plot centers on the fate of the Nantucket whaling ship, which was destroyed by a sperm whale in 1820. Crew members were lost at sea for 90 days, and eight of them were rescued.

"In the Heart of the Sea" is based on the book by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Zwick will direct a script he wrote with Marshall Herskovitz. Fox is expected tp distribute the film, which should head into production some time this year.

Oscar-winner Zwick most recently helmed "Defiance." His credits also include "Blood Diamond," "The Last Samurai" and "Glory."

"Sea" is not the only whale story to head to the big screen, because Universal is also currently planning a new version of "Moby Dick," which Timur Bekmambetov will direct.

I was planning to see a bunch of awards contenders in the coming two months, but my hopes are quickly fading.

As reported by Variety, Paramount Pictures decided to push back Joe Wright’s upcoming drama “The Soloist” to March 13, 2009. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx was originally scheduled to hit Nov. 21, 2008.

For Paramount, money is apparently more important right now than a shot at some serious awards. The trade says the studio saves many millions by moving the flick’s release date to next year.

But that’s not all. Paramount is also postponing Edward Zwick’s upcoming war drama “Defiance,” which was scheduled to open Dec. 12. The film will open in limited release Dec. 31 to qualify for an Oscar run, but the wide release is now set for Jan. 16.

Release date changes have been quite frequent this year. “The Road,” “Twilight,” “Quantum of Solace, “Bolt” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” were all moved up or pushed back from their original scheduled openings.

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