<Li> Luca Tosi as William Wright </Li> <P> Chris Hemsworth was cast to play the lead, Owen Chase, in June 2012 . Tom Holland won the role of young Nickerson in April 2013 . Cillian Murphy signed on as Matthew Joy in June . Before Benjamin Walker was set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill . The film was in development back in 2000, with Barry Levinson set to direct for Miramax Films . </P> <P> Principal photography began in September 2013 in London and at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England . It was also shot on location on the island of La Gomera (plus some scenes on Lanzarote) in the Canary Islands, Spain . For the storm scenes, the production team built a water tank at Leavesden Studios, where a deck was built on top of a gimbal to mimic the pitch of a storm . To get the right effect, 500 gallons of icy water were poured from cannons . </P> <P> During one point of filming, the cast and crew were forced to retreat to their hotel by a storm off the Canary Islands, which turned into a rare flash flood . The production shut down for a day and a half, expanding the shoot to 73 days, exactly as filmmakers expected . </P>

Where was in the heart of the sea filmed