Malibu’s Tom Hanks has been flying high this summer. He’s immersed himself in the role of heroic pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — the calm, soft-spoken, low-profile pilot who pulled off “The Miracle on the Hudson.”
Based on true-life events, the movie tells the tale of how a flock of geese knocked out thrust on both of an airplane’s engines shortly after takeoff from New York’s La Guardia Airport in 2009. With 155 people on board, Sully engineered a miraculous emergency landing on the Hudson River.
“It happened 100 seconds after takeoff,” Sullenberger recalls. “It was a life changing event for everyone on board.”
The passengers lined up on the wings and all survived thanks to the Captain’s judgment and cool demeanor. Clint Eastwood is in the director’s chair. He’ll also be looking at how the investigative boards were giving the hero a hard time.
Eastwood will take his cues from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, which was based on the book “Highest Duty: My Search For What Really Matters,” by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow.
Sully has become a fixture during aircraft events and can regularly be seen as a guest on shows like “The CBS Morning News.”
In the meantime, it seems like Clint picked the perfect person to bring the story to life.
Thanks to his new gray ‘do and matching mustache, Tom certainly looks the part. With Clint Eastwood in the director’s chair, both can safely assume a hit on their hands. And Eastwood hopes it’s a story that will resonate with audiences everywhere, saying, “There’s something about a near miss like that that makes you appreciate life as you have it.”
THEY’RE IN THE MONEY
It’s a very exclusive club and several locals are on the roster: Forbes magazine has just named the top earning actresses in Hollywood. Jennifer Lawrence claimed the top spot. The “Hunger Games” and “X-Men Apocalypse” star took the No. 1 position with $46 million in the last 12 months. She took the top spot for the second year in a row! Her position was largely based on profits from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2,” which was the final installment of the franchise.
Jennifer Lawrence is in good company with locals Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts in the mix.
The list also includes funny girl Melissa McCarthy, blonde bombshell Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Chinese film star Fan Bingbing and Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone. Those are the leading ladies. The men’s list comes out later this week.