“Sully,” the Tom Hanks biopic of heroic airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, will land in theaters on September 9, 2016, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow announced Friday.
Clint Eastwood directed the film, which will also be released in IMAX.
“Sully” tells the story of the pilot who successfully landed U.S. Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January 2009 after both of the jet’s engines were disabled by a flock of Canadian geese shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport.
Sullenberger determined that there was no time return to LaGuardia or find another airport and decided to attempt a risky water landing on the Hudson — a decision that saved the lives of all 155 people on board.
The drama also stars Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Jerry Ferrara, Autumn Reeser, Sam Huntington and Max Adler.
The screenplay is by Todd Komarnicki, who adapted the book “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters,” which Sullenberger co-wrote with Jeffrey Zaslow.
“Sully” is being produced by Eastwood and Tim Moore for Malpaso, Frank Marshall for Kennedy/Marshall and Allyn Stewart for Flashlight Films, whose Kipp Nelson will executive produce with RatPac-Dune’s Steven Mnuchin.