Just two weeks after Clint Eastwood signed on to direct an untitled biopic about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Deadline reports Warner Bros. is in negotiations with Tom Hanks to play the hero pilot. When Clint Eastwood signed on to direct, some thought that the filmmaker himself should play Sully, but Tom Hanks is no stranger to true-life heroic captains, portraying cargo ship leader Captain Phillips in the 2013 biopic of the same name. No production schedule has been given at this time, and it isn't known when Warner Bros. may release the biopic.

On January 15, 2009, Sully Sullenberger became a national hero, after pulling off an incredible emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in what has become known as Miracle on the Hudson. After a flock of geese flew into the plane shortly after takeoff, the pilot managed a miraculous landing in the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers on board, making him a national hero. The project is based on the pilot's 2009 book Highest Duty, which he co-wrote with Jeffrey Zaslow, chronicling his childhood, military service and his years as a commercial airline pilot.

Clint Eastwood is directing from an adapted script by Todd Komarnicki. The director will also produce with his Malpaso partner Tim Moore, Kennedy/Marshall's Frank Marshall and Flashlight Films' Allyn Stewart. Flashlight's Kipp Nelson and RatPac-Dune's Steven Mnuchin are serving as executive producers. Tom Hanks will next be seen in Bridge of Spies, another true story adaptation arriving in theaters this October, and he is currently shooting Inferno with director Ron Howard.