Clint Eastwood Shows Hollywood How It's Done With Brand-New Movie Honoring True American Heroes
Movie producer and tough-guy Clint Eastwood has one-upped Hollywood by casting real-life members of the military in his latest film “The 15:17 to Paris,” which tells the story of how three American heroes helped prevent a terrorist attack on a train from Belgium to France in 2015.
In what Variety magazine called an unprecedented move, Eastwood cast the three Americans as themselves.
Anthony Sadler, 23, National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos, 22, and Air Force Airman Spencer Stone, 23, will star in the movie that shows how they intervened when Islamic militant Ayoub el-Khazzani opened fire on a train filled with 554 passengers.
Eastwood’s movie is based on the book “The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes,” written by the men with the help of Jeffrey E. Stern.
The film follows the course of the men’s lives and highlights the events that shaped them, ultimately preparing them for the moment when they faced the terrorist.
The BBC reported that El-Khazzani was heavily armed when he boarded the train. A French passenger encountered El-Khazzani on the way to the restroom. A scuffle ensued and the gun went off. A French-American passenger was reportedly injured by the shot.
Within moments, Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone were among the passengers who stepped in and stopped El-Khazzani.
In an interview with CBS, Skarlatos said his reaction was a “gut instinct.”
Stone told CBS that the gunman seemed “ready to fight to the end,” adding that he and his friends were also ready to do what needed to be done to stop the terrorist.
The men were awarded the Legion of Honor — France’s highest award — for their bravery.
The movie will no doubt highlight how ordinary men can overcome adversity and accomplish extraordinary things.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eastwood said the movie was a tribute to the common man.
When asked about casting the heroes as themselves, Eastwood said that he looked at others who could do the job, but he was struck by how the faces of the heroes were unique. He added that it would be “an interesting experiment.”
Interesting and encouraging.
Watch the trailer for the movie below.
If “The 15:17 to Paris” has the same reception as other Eastwood projects like “Sully” and “American Sniper,” which also focused on real-life heroes, it will be a box-office hit.
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