It’s been a while since we’ve heard much aboutSully, probably because notoriously fast directorClint Eastwoodwrapped filming long ago. But now, as the dog days of summer are about halfway over, the drama’s September release date is inching closer, and a new image has landed online that likely denotes a debut trailer coming soon. The film starsTom Hanksas Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, the “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot who glided a disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson, saving the lives of the 155 people onboard.
Now you may be thinking, how does the story of a guy gliding a plane across the Hudson count as a full movie? Well forSully, Eastwood tells not just the rescue story, but also the aftermath story, in which an investigation into the event threatened to destroy Sully’s reputation and career.
Eastwoodshot nearly the entire film with IMAX cameras—a first for the 86-year-old filmmaker—and the production disassembled and transported an Airbus A320 to the Warner Bros. set, where it was dropped into a giant pool. Speaking withEW,Aaron Eckhart(who plays Sully’s copilot Jeffery Skiles) detailed the preparation that he and Hanks went through to play pilots:
“For simulation we had the exact flight pattern mapped out on the simulator as they flew on that particular flight, and that was interesting because you get up in the air, you’re 3,000 feet or whatever it is, and you have three minutes to figure out what will happen and then to troubleshoot it and then to land the plane and make the decision to land on the Hudson, that’s not a lot of time. Then we had the transcripts and the radio conversation between Sully and the tower, to hear how calm he was and how precise. It was great filming those scenes and everybody getting out on the wing and seeing Tom take charge. It was a blast.”
Eastwood is coming off ofAmerican Sniper, one of the biggest hits of his career, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of film he’s crafted withSully. Lest we forget,American Sniperwas preceded by the almost impressively dullJersey Boys,J. Edgar,Hereafter, andInvictus. But we should have a much better idea of what we’re in for when that first trailer drops, which should be any day now.
Check out the new photo below.Sullyopens in theaters on September 9th and also starsLaura LinneyandAnna Gunn.
