It has been a full forty years since Philippe Petit’s daring stunt that saw the French wire artist walk between the Two Towers, and to this day, his remarkable feat is still held up as one of the most valiant and indeed audacious stunts ever performed. It served as the focal point of James Marsh’s well-received documentary Man On Wire back in 2008 and now, Petit’s death-defying act is set to be ushered into the spotlight once more with Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming film, The Walk.
Starring Joesph Gordon-Levitt as the French daredevil, Zemeckis’ latest will see the actor walk the tightrope at an eye-watering 1,350 feet in 1974. Ben Kingsley and Charlotte Le Bon will join the 50/50 actor in the film, which is set to make its debut in the fall of next year.
While short in length, this first-look trailer sets things up quite brilliantly, and Gordon-Levitt looks to play a convincing lead who throws all caution and common sense to the wind.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt will dare to dream big when The Walk arrives in theaters on October 2, 2015. For now, be sure to check out the vertigo-inducing trailer above and let us know if you’re looking forward to Zemeckis’ film in the comments below.
Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.
Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center.