Aaron Eckhart joins Tom Hanks in Sully Sullenberger movie

Los Angeles: Actor Aaron Eckhart has been signed on to star in Clint Eastwood's upcoming film about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.

The 47-year-old actor will play co-pilot in the Warner Bros' movie, which stars Tom Hanks in the lead, said The Hollywood Reporter.

Hanks will star as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed his plane full of 155 passengers in the Hudson River after both engines were knocked out by a flock of geese.

Eckhart will play Jeff Skiles, who was the first officer and co-pilot on the Airbus A320. He was manually flying the plane when the birds crashed into the engines. He helped Sully safely land the US Airways plane.

The event is popularly known as the "Miracle on the Hudson". The script by Todd Komarnicki, is based on Sullenberger's life and memoir.

Eckhart was recently seen in "I, Frankenstein" and "Olympus Has Fallen". He will be next seen in the boxing drama "Bleed for This" with Miles Teller.