Tom Hanks is currently filming Extremely Loud and Incredible Close for director Stephen Daldry and the veteran actor already has a few further movies mapped out as his next projects... one being Kathryn Bigelow's drug trade drama
Triple Frontier that will film this year and also a family adventure movie based on Disney's
Jungle Cruise ride which he will star in alongside Toy Story actor Tim Allen, probably next year. And now we've got another project to add to his schedule.
Deadline are reporting that Hanks is set to star as Captain Richard Phillips in a Sony Pictures film adaptation of his memoirs
A Captains Story: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, scripted by writer
Bill Ray (State of Play, Breach). Phillips, the leader of the cargo ship Maersk Albama, famously gave himself up to Somali pirates back in 2009 in a hostage exchange for the safety of his crew after an armed ambush where he was then kept prisoner for three days before Navy Seals rescued him in a thrilling rescue attempt, killing three of the Pirate captors in the process. Ever since the day of the event Sony has seen a movie in the story and they quickly optioned the book once Phillips signed a deal with the CAA. The powerhouse producing trio of Scott Rudin, Michael De Lucas, Dana Brunetti and Kevin Spacey - the team who equally saw a compelling story in the formation of Facebook and spearheaded The Social Network - are behind this one too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_e_ybqoSOo No director has been announced yet but you know who Hanks should call? Robert Zemeckis. He has just found himself out of work and the tale has the kind of hero's journey that Cast Away had and it would be good for Zemeckis to test himself with something like this. Though as I said above with Hanks' schedule, I don't think this one will be a go project for at least a year.