Mere Weeks after his dramatic escape from armed Somali pirates, Columbia Pictures wasted no time in acquiring the life rights of Captain Richard Phillips.
The studio, which has also optioned the film rights to Phillips’ upcoming memoir, will bring the Maersk Alabama captain’s capture by Somali pirates and subsequent rescue by the U.S. Navy to the Big Screen.
Michael DeLuca, Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Scott Rudin are on board to produce.
“We were drawn to this remarkable story of heroism and courage as events were unfolding off the coast of Africa,” said Col co-prexy Doug Belgrad said.
The film will retell the events that garnered headlines worldwide including Phillips surrendering himself to the pirates after his ship was hijacked on the high seas, the ensuing standoff with Navy sharp-shooters and President Obama’s role in bringing Phillips home alive.
With the sharp-shooter standoff seeming more amazing than anything seen in Hollywood today, it comes as no surprise that this story would find it’s way to the visual medium so quickly.
Source: Variety
