Eastwood to direct biopic about 'Miracle on the Hudson' pilot

Los Angeles: "American Sniper" director Clint Eastwood will helm a biopic about the heroic pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger for Warner Bros. The studio announced that Eastwood will direct and produce the as-yet-untitled drama for his next project, reported People magazine.

The movie's screenplay will be adapted from Sullenberger's own 2009 memoir, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters", which recounted the pilot's personal life before his legendary actions of January 2009.

He became an instant American national hero as a result of his actions, and has on a number of occasions been courted by the main political parties in the country for endorsement and even to run for public office, though he has refused to affiliate himself in any way.

"I am very glad my story is in the hands of gifted storyteller and filmmaker Clint Eastwood," Sullenberger said in a statement.

On January 15, 2009, a US Airways flight piloted by Sullenberger lost power after a multiple birds flew into the plane's engines, causing them to fail.

As the aircraft lost altitude, Sullenberger realised he would not be able to reach the nearest airfield and was forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. All 155 occupants were successfully evacuated, after a nearby ship rescued the passengers and crew from the sinking plane.

Much of the evacuation was captured on video and quickly became a media sensation, with the incident being dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson".