Production is now underway on Clint Eastwood’s 35th feature film as a director, Sully. Based on true events, the Warner Bros. drama stars Tom Hanks as Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, the “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot who glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson, saving the lives of 155 onboard. Scripted by Todd Komarnicki and based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters by Sullenberger and Jeffery Zaslow, Eastwood’s film not only recounts Sully’s heroic efforts, but also the dramatic aftermath during which an investigation threatened to destroy his reputation and career.
Hanks is joined in the cast by Aaron Eckhart as Sully’s co-pilot and Laura Linney as his wife, with Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart, and Tim Moore producing. Production began in New York, where the "Miracle on the Hudson" event happened, but will also move to North Carolina, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
Given Eastwood’s recent output, I can’t say I’m “excited” about Sully, and Robert Zemeckis already kind of perfected the whole plane crash sequence in Flight, but the true story captured the interest of the American public quite strikingly, so I imagine this will be a sizeable hit once it’s released. Eastwood is working with his same longtime collaborators, including cinematographer Tom Stern and production designer James J. Murakami, so don’t expect any striking change-ups in Eastwood’s signature visual style (No colors allowed!).
A release date for Sully has yet to be set, but Eastwood works very fast (it’s almost guaranteed the movie will come in on time and under budget) so I imagine this will be ready for release in 2016—during awards season, no doubt. Hanks most recently wrapped The Circle with director James Ponsoldt and will next be seen onscreen later this month in Steven Spielberg’s spy thriller Bridge of Spies.
