Production is underway today on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Captain “Sully” Sullenberger biopic, now officially titled Sully. It is set to star Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (Bride of Spies, Captain Phillips) as Captain Sully and it is being directed by Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood (American Sniper, Million Dollar Baby).
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain Sully (Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
Sully also stars Aaron Eckhart (Olympus Has Fallen, The Dark Knight) as Sully’s co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, and Oscar nominee Laura Linney (The Savages, Kinsey) as Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger.
Eastwood is directing the film from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. The project is being produced by Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart and Tim Moore, with Kipp Nelson serving as executive producer.
The film reunites Eastwood with several of his longtime collaborators, who most recently worked with the director on the worldwide hit American Sniper: director of photography Tom Stern and production designer James J. Murakami, who were both Oscar-nominated for their work on The Changeling; costume designer Deborah Hopper; and editor Blu Murray.
Principal photography on Sully began on Monday, September 28, in New York, where the water landing that instantly made Sully a household name was achieved. Filming will also take place in North Carolina, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
A Malpaso, Flashlight Films, Kennedy/Marshall Company production, Sully will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. A release date has not yet been revealed.
