Clint Eastwood is set to direct a new film about the three American heroes who foiled a planned terrorist attack on a train in France in 2015.
The actor-turned-moviemaker met Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone, childhood friends who helped to restrain a gunman as he prepared to open fire on a train from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Paris in August, 2015, at Spike TV’s annual Guys Choice Awards last year (16), when Eastwood honored the men for their bravery.
The recognition meant a lot to all three guys as they were big fans of the Dirty Harry icon, and now they have chosen Eastwood to adapt their book about the potential massacre for the big screen.
Screenwriter Dorothy Blyskal penned the script, based on the 2016 book The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes, which Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone co-wrote with Jeffrey E. Stern, reports Deadline.com.
Casting is currently underway, with Eastwood aiming to begin production later this year (17). He will also produce the project with Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera and Jessica Meier.
Eastwood has become known for turning real-life stories of heroism into critically-acclaimed movies.
His last directorial effort, Sully, about the titular passenger plane pilot who made a successful emergency landing on New York’s Hudson River in 2009, became a hit for Eastwood and lead actor Tom Hanks last year (16), while 2014 release American Sniper, which starred Bradley Cooper as Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle, won an Oscar for sound editing in 2015.
The news of his latest project emerged on Thursday (20Apr17), hours before another shooting attack took place in Paris. One police officer was killed and two others were injured as they challenged the attacker, who opened fire on a cop van in the Champs-Elysees area. The gunman was shot and killed.
