Following his record-breaking success with the film American Sniper Clint Eastwood has announced his next big project. The legendary actor and director, who turned 85 last Sunday, has his sights set on an everyday hero with an incredible story to tell.
His new film, Miracle on the Hudson, will tell the life story of one Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who became a worldwide hero after he guided US Airways Flight 1549 to safety on the Hudson River in January 2009.
Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros told NBC: “Clint Eastwood is at the top of his game, not to mention a global treasure. On the heels of his extraordinary work on American Sniper, it is tremendously exciting to see him explore another captivating true-life hero.”
Mr Eastwood will direct the film, which is based on Sullenberger’s memoir, Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters.
According to the Hollywood Reporter flying enthusiast Harrison Ford first introduced Captain Sullenberger to the film’s producer Frank Marshall. Filming will start in sometime in the US autumn, however the lead role has not yet been cast. Did someone mention “Harrison Ford”…?
On January 15, 2009, Captain Sullenberger piloted US Airways Flight 1549 along with First Officer Jeffrey Skiles. Not long after takeoff, the Airbus A320 flew into a flock of geese, which caused both engines to fail. As the aircraft lost altitude, the crew decided the plane could not reach the closest airfield so they turned southbound and glided over the Hudson River, finally ditching the plane off midtown Manhattan about three minutes after losing power.
All 155 occupants, the passengers and crew, successfully evacuated from the partially submerged airframe as it sank into the river; they were rescued by nearby watercraft. The incident came to be known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”.
The entire crew of Flight 1549 was awarded the Master’s Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, the citation read: “This emergency ditching and evacuation, with the loss of no lives, is a heroic and unique aviation achievement.”
Are you excited about Clint Eastwood’s next film? What a legend!
Proudly Australian owned and operated