Director Clint Eastwood’s still-untitled upcoming biopic of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is set to reunite the helmer with star Laura Linney. Linney previous starred in Eastwood’s Absolute Power and Mystic River and, per Deadline, will now play Captain Sully’s wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, opposite leading man Tom Hanks. Linney’s involvement with the project comes just one week after reports that The Dark Knight and Battle: Los Angeles‘ Aaron Eckhart will play Jeff Skiles, first officer and co-pilot to Hanks’ Captain Sully during the 2009 incident famously known as the Miracle on the Hudson.
The film will be based on Sullenberger’s own 2009 autobiography, Highest Duty. Written with Jeffrey Zaslow, the book is described on Sullenberger’s official site as follows:
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide.
Highest Duty is Sully’s story—a story of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of war, tragedy, and economic uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for—that life’s challenges can be met if we’re ready for them.
“I am very glad my story is in the hands of gifted storyteller and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, and veteran producers Allyn Stewart and Frank Marshall,” said Sullenberger of the feature film earlier this year. “The project could not have found a better home than Warner Bros. Pictures. This is truly a dream team.”
Laura Linney recently starred opposite Ian McKellen in director Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes.
Eastwood will also produce the film through his Malpaso Productions alongside Frank Marshall of Kennedy/Marshall and Allyn Stewart of Flashlight Films.
