“How did you pull off the impossible?” That’s the question posed to Tom Hanks’ heroic pilot Chesley ‘Sully‘ Sullenberger in today’s jaw-dropping IMAX trailer for Clint Eastwood’s imminent, awards-tipped drama.
Chronicling the death-defying tale known in the aviation world as the Miracle of the Hudson, Eastwood’s new creative venture appears to be more concerned with the fallout from the event, dolling out its marquee action sequence early on before shifting gears into pure character drama – not unlike Robert Zemeckis’ pic Flight from three years ago.
This time around, Eastwood will be adapting Sullenberger’s own memoir of the doomed US Airways Flight 1549. Entitled Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, Tom Hanks can certainly look forward to a meaty role, with an awards nomination surely in the cards. He’ll be flanked by Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser, Holt McCallany, Jamey Sheridan and Jerry Ferrara.
Warner Bros. is now making the preparations for launch, with Eastwood’s true-life drama set to swerve directly into the Oscar race when Sully touches down on September 9.
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger 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.