“The 15:17 to Paris” to star heroes

Chief Tango sends us a link to Variety which reports that Clint Eastwood is casting the real life heroes, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone, of the attack on passengers of that particular train ride from Amsterdam to Paris two years ago;

The casting move is similar to Eastwood’s “Gran Torino,” which featured an almost unknown cast outside of Eastwood, who also starred in the movie.

Following the news that this would be his follow-up to the box office hit “Sully,” Eastwood began a wide-ranging search for the actors who would portray the three Americans. It seemed the studio and Eastwood had their choices but at the eleventh hour have decided to have Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone portray themselves.

Sources say that, while the three will have good sized roles, the film is expected to begin during their childhood and show their friendship leading up to the moment that changed their lives. That means the roles will not be full-on leads.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Sadler, Skarlatos, Stone and Jeffrey E. Stern and Bruce Berman to exec produce. Dorothy Blyskal will write the script.

Skarlatos is an Oregon National Guardsman and Sadler is an Airman in the US Air Force. They were vacationing in Europe when they tackled Ayoub El Khazzani, a man who authorities said has ties to radical Islam on the Paris-bound train with a Kalashnikov rifle, pistol and box cutter.

Category: Media